Dimensional Heroes Revolution: Danganronpa V3
by jexi the hunter
Summary: A new killing game has begun as an unsuspecting boy walks into a killing game between sixteen other students. Will they be able to survive or will despair triumph over hope?
1. Ultimate Revival

In the Dark tunnels leading to the light, the boy wrapped in chains with ripped black clothing weakly limped over to a ladder thad lead to the light above.

"Come on… move, body. Don't give up on me…." he said. "Why...do I feel so much...what...was it I did down there?" he pondered as he climbed.

In the climbing of the rungs that seemed like it took forever to climb, the boy finally reached the top. He sprawled out onto the pavement and looked up at the sun.

(Cue- Beautiful Lie)

They boy looked straight up at the sky, but it wasn't what he expected. He could see metal beams and glass panes surrounding a half dome.

"Strange...I thought...the area above was clear, a large field. It seems a lot has changed since the last time I was out...just wish I remember when that time was." he said.

He was about to continue walking before realizing the chains on his body. "Ah...that's right. I better hide these. I don't want to put anyone off." he said before seeing a storage shed. "Hmmm."

He soon walked out of it wearing a cloak over his body and obscuring his chains. "Good. Now...to figure out where the hell I am." he said heading for the main building.

He walked inside the building, and found it overgrown with vegetation.

"Hello? Nurse? Janitor? Anyone? This is a school, isn't it? If anyone is in here, say something!" the boy said.

That's when the strangest words appeared in the hallways….

Rise and Shine, Ursine~!

(Shift-Rise and Shine, Ursine!)

Out of nowhere, five little colored stuffed bears appeared, each one having some sort of unique design.

"Huh? What's this guy doin ere?" the yellow bear with tiger stripes and glasses said.

Monosuke

"How the hell should i know?! The student roster said 16 of em, i don't know this guy!" the blue bear with spiked shoulder pads and a guitar said.

Monokid

"I-WONDER-HOW-FATHER-WILL-TAKE-IT-IF-WE-BRING-THIS-17TH-PERSON?" asked a green robotic bear.

Monodam

"I don't think Papa was expecting a 17th student…. All 16 of them are in the Gym, right?" A pink bear with a swimsuit on said.

Monophanie

"True. This person is probably some fanboy who snuck in under our surveillance." said a red bear with a scarf and throwing stars.

Monotaro

"Okay, just...what are you?" he asked.

"We're the Monokubs!" the five of them said posing.

"And I'm suppose to know what that's to mean? Nevermind, I don't care about you guys." he said moving past them.

"Hey, hold on a sec! No fans allowed in here!" Monosuke said.

"I'm not a fan. Actually, do you guys have any idea where I am? I'm not sure what this place is other than a school." the boy asked.

"He wandered in here and he doesn't even remember? He's more forgetful than I am!" Monotaro said.

"Wait...you said 16 students right? So there are real people here?" he asked.

"Of course there are. Papa's probably initiating them into the Academy right now." Monophanie said.

"Academy?" the boy asked.

"In case you're wonderin kid, this place you happened to have entered the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles." Monosuke said.

"So it's some fancy prep school? Don't care. Take me to the students. I need to speak with real people and not teddy bear knock offs." he said.

"Did you have to be so harsh?" all five of them said.

"I'm going. Bye." he said walking away from them again.

"Oh boy… dad's not gonna like this…" Monotaro said.

"You think? 16 was supposed to be all we got, but now this guy is here? This makes no sense." Monosuke said.

"NEVERMIND-HIM! ADDING-AN-UNEXPECTED-VARIABLE-WILL-MAKE-THE-GAME-MORE-EXCITING!" Monodam said.

"Hey, Monodam's right! No one's gonna expect him to walk into the Gym! Frikin Genius!" Monokid said.

"Though before father arrives...we better make sure no one else got in." Monotaro said.

"He's right. If we get two more...or ten more...or...BRLRLRLRLR!" Monophanie said before vomiting.

"Aaaaah! Monophanie, gross!" Monotaro said.

"S-Sorry! I got nervous." Monophanie said.

"Well, we'd better get to it." Monosuke said.

"Yeah! Leave the newbie to meet the others and pop!" Monokid said.

So Long! Bear Well!

And with that one phrase, the five kubs disappeared to check the dome.

"Damn idiots." the boy said before entering the gym and seeing it empty. "And they were wrong about the gym being full." he said marching out in anger before he charged into a room with a piano on it. He saw inside was a young blond hair girl in a sweater looking around the room that was filled with sheet music, cassettes and a large piano. "Oh….I apologize. I didn't think anyone was inside."

"Thanks for saying that. Who are you?" the girl asked.

"Linc. Just Linc." he said. "And you?"

"My name is Kaede Akamatsu. I'm the Ultimate Pianist." she said.

Kaede Akamatsu

Ultimate Pianist

"Ultimate Pianist? Thats a thing?" Linc asked.

"Huh? Why do you say that?" Kaede asked.

"Well, it's just… as i can remember, no one talent can be so good that you can be ultimate at it. How good are you on that Piano?" Linc asked.

"Very good. I've been in competitions since I was a kid." Kaede said. "Sometimes I'm called a Piano Freak because of how I like playing piano."

"Piano freak? Why? There's nothing wrong with piano." Linc said.

"Well, I guess you're right." Kaede said.

"So what is this place?" Linc asked.

"My research lab. All 16 of us has one. We're each in our labs until it's time to gather." Kaede said.

"I see. Guess those bears were wrong." Linc said.

"Bears? Oh… So you met the Monokubs already." Kaede said.

"Annoying little robots is more like it. I don't really care for them much." Linc said.

"Well… I guess so." Kaede said.

"So these others...I just need to check their labs for them?" Linc asked.

"I guess so." Kaede said.

Linc left the room as he started his search. Next he entered a room where inside was a large stage and several costumes. Standing in there was a girl with long blue hair and glasses.

"What is this? Disguises of some sort?" Linc asked.

"Not disguises. Costumes! They're for cosplaying." she said.

"Cosplaying? Never heard of it." Linc said.

"Then you have no idea the joy you are missing. I'm Tsumugi Shirogane...the Ultimate Cosplayer." she said.

Tsumugi Shirogane

Ultimate Cosplayer

"Nice to meet you, Tsumugi. Im Linc. that's all i know. So, what is this cosplay stuff? It sounds fun." Linc said.

"To get the basics down, cosplay is the art of wearing costumes and outfits based on characters from popular media." Tsumugi said.

"I see. I'll keep it in mind than. I don't care much for costumes." Linc said. "But it looks like you'd be able to pull it off. Y'know… cuz you're so plain looking."

"Oh, I'm not really into wearing my own costumes. And I have a rule. I only cosplay fictional characters." she said. "If I even try real ones, I get cospox."

"Cospox…? Sounds like something I shouldn't get too deep in." Linc said. "I think I'll go."

He soon left as the next room he entered was a mess with fallen objects and a large table with 1 seats and sitting in one of them was a young man with a striped shirt and green hair.

"Oh. Hey there." he said.

"Hey." Linc said. "Are you another one of these...prodigies?"

"Yes, but unlike them, I don't remember my talent. My name is Rantaro Amami." he said.

Rantaro Amami

Ultimate ?

"So you don't remember you talent? Funny, I don't really seem to remember much of anything. All I can remember was waking up below the school. And my name." Linc said.

"Below the school? Hmm… That really is unusual." Rantaro said.

"But I think you're the most suspicious. How can you be a prodigy if you don't know what you're good at?" Linc asked.

"To be fair...everyone here forgot how they even got here." Rantaro said.

"All of them?" Linc thought to himself. "Strange. That doesn't seem normal." he said leaving.

The next lab he entered was filled with different props like top hats, death traps and potions. And inside was a girl with short red hair and a witch's hat.

"So...judging from this...you're a stage illusionist correct?" he asked.

"It's not illusions...it's magic." she said.

"Magic?" Linc asked.

"Prepare to be amazed, fall to your knees. I am Himiko Yumeno, the Ultimate Mage." she said nonchalantly. There was silence. "Uh...but officially, I'm the Ultimate Magician."

Himiko Yumeno

Ultimate Magician

"Oh, you're a magician. That makes sense. There's all kinds of stuff a magician has here. Escape tricks, smoke bombs, top hats, the works. I know this is all fake because magic… in my opinion, doesn't really exist." Linc said.

"Nyeeh...Magic does exist." Himiko said.

"Huh? how can you be so sure?" Linc asked.

"Cuz im a Mage. The Magician thing is really a cover up for my magic. There's a group called the Magic Castle also known as the Hall of Magicians where all lovers of magic gather. I was the youngest person ever to win the Magician of the Year award." Himiko said.

"That said… aren't you a little young for this schtick? All these escape tricks seem kinda dangerous…" Linc said.

"It's no schtick...It's magic!" Himiko said.

"Okay… I'm just gonna go. But I'm betting you can't pull off one of these tricks, just saying that now." Linc said exiting the room.

"Nyeeh… I'm gonna prove him wrong, and he's gonna owe me a lot." Himiko said before Linc left.

"Starting to think this was a mistake." he said before entering the next lab where inside was a dojo of sorts filled with training dummies and inside was a girl in a school uniform and hairbow.

"Halt right there!" she said.

"On what grounds?" Linc asked.

"Of being a degenerate male!" she said.

"Degenerate… I don't care why you call me that. We've never met." he said before she went at him. "Chain." he said as one of the chains tied to his finger rose out of his sleeve and blocked the hit. "That style...it's Aikido right? So you must be?"

"I am Tenko Chabashira! The Ultimate Aikido Master!" she said.

Tenko Chabashira

Ultimate Aikido Master

"And I've never seen any Degenerate Male counter my Neo-Aikido, not ever!" she said.

"Neo-Aikido? Never heard of it." Linc said as the chain retracted. "All I did was defend myself."

"Your chains are...bizarre." Tenko said.

"They are just...my tools for my work." Linc said. "Wait...why did I say that?"

Linc soon left after that.

He then entered what seemed to be a laboratory filled with tools and machines and inside was a girl in pink with goggles and a strange pack.

"Uh…hey there. Is this your…?" Linc asked blushing before the girl cut in.

"Hey! where ya lookin, dumbass?!" She asked.

"Nothing important." Linc sai. "Just a bunch of junk."

"Bunch of junk? These inventions are going to change the world, you idiot! I'm the gorgeous girl genius who will go down in history. I'm the one and only legendary Ultimate Inventor herself, Miu Iruma!" she said.

Miu Iruma

Ultimate Inventor

"O-Kay…" Linc said. "Well you've certainly got the looks alright."

"Damn straight! Don't be shy, little boy. You can…" she said before Linc uppercutted her. "What the hell?"

"Not interested." Linc said leaving.

"H-he hit me…" Miu said before donning a face of pleasure. "Kyaaa!"

This place is getting more and more bizarre." Linc said before entering a room with lots of high end equipment where inside a person in funny looking clothing was being chased by a small boy in white.

"Come on, just let me feel your arm!" the boy said.

"Please, just keep a respectable distance." the other boy said.

"Come on! Come on! I've always wanted to be friends with a real life robot!" the boy said.

"A robot? So are you like those Monokubs?" Linc asked.

"Oh, I am no ordinary robot and don't compare me to them. I am K1-B0, the Ultimate Robot. But please, address me as Keebo." he said.

K1-B0

Ultimate Robot

"Heeeey, no fair. How come you got to introduce yourself in such a cool way? I should do it too." the boy said.

"Uh...go ahead." Linc said.

"I am Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader." the boy said.

Kokichi Oma

Ultimate Supreme Leader

"A robot and a Supreme Leader… I have to say this is a weird combination. Well, I'd like to get to know you two better anyway. So uh...Keebo. Why are you here?" Linc asked.

"I may be a robot, but I have a mind like a human brain due to the AI used to create me. I'm a student like everyone else." Keebo said.

"That's pretty cool. And Kokichi, right? What's up with this Supreme Leader thing?" Linc asked.

"Oh, nothing too special. I'm just the leader of an evil secret organization. That's all." Kokichi said.

"Say WHAT?! You're a villain?!" Linc asked.

"Nee-heehee. I figured that would be the right reaction. It's pretty great too. Got about 10'000 members." Kokichi said.

"10000 strong? Could this be…" Linc began.

"Who knows? Because I'm a liar after all." Kokichi said.

"Don't take anything you say seriously. Got it." Linc said. "Well I'm gonna check out the rest of the labs."

"Really? You haven't even told us your talent." Keebo said.

"I don't know what mine is. All I know is my name." Linc said. "Though I don't care much for the talent thing."

He soon left the room as he entered a lab which was a large tennis court with pitching and hitting machines. In the corner was a short boy.

"So...looking for the exit?" he asked.

"Yes." Linc said.

"Well if you came to ask me, you're going to the wrong person. Still, this place is pretty nice compared to prison." he said.

"Deep voice….wait you were in prison?" Linc asked.

"Yes. Ryoma Hoshi...the man known as the Ultimate Tennis Pro no longer exists. I am his empty shell." he said.

Ryoma Hoshi

Ultimate Tennis Pro

"A shell? So then why are you choosing to be in this lab if the man isn't around?" Linc asked.

"You sure ask a lot of questions…" Ryoma said.

"So… what were you in jail for?" Linc asked.

"I used my talent...to kill." Ryoma said.

"Seriously? How could tennis kill anyone?" Linc asked.

"An iron ball shot through the head of a mafia boss." Ryoma said.

"So it was a Mafia… but wasn't that good for the society?" Linc asked.

"Murder is still murder. I'm done talking with you." Ryoma said turning his back on Linc.

"Crazy…" Linc said going into the next room. It was filled with various weapons as inside was a girl with black hair and a red school uniform.

"Hello, I'm Linc. What do they call you?" Linc introduced.

"Maki Harukawa….Ultimate Child Caregiver." she said.

Maki Harukawa

Ultimate Child Caregiver

"Uh… Do you really need this many weapons for it, though?" Linc asked.

"No one else is even suppose to be in my lab. Get out." she said.

"She's giving off a malicious aura. I should go." Linc thought as he quickly ran out. "Okay… on to the next one."

Linc soon found a door labeled exit as he approached.

"Don't bother. Those exit doors do not work." a voice said as a man in a green uniform and a zipper thing covering his mouth.

"I see. Well, thank you uh…" Linc said.

"Allow me to make myself clear. I am Korekiyo Shinguchi. I am called the Ultimate Anthropologist." he said.

Korekiyo Shinguchi

Ultimate Anthropologist

"Anthropology...so you study folklore right? Culture?" Linc asked.

"Correct. You seem to know a lot about it." Kiyo said.

"I'm familiar with some things." Linc said. "So I guess I shouldn't bother with the exits."

Linc left him after before entering a room with an outer space theme as inside was a man with a goatee and a jacket on his shoulders.

"Oh hey! You're the new guy, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, But… how do you know me already?" Linc asked.

"Hey, we're all new here, aren't we? Anyway, seeing as how you don't know much...I'll tell you who I am. I'm Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars! Even kids look up to the Ultimate Astronaut." he said.

Kaito Momota

Ultimate Astronaut

"Oh, so you've been to Space then?" Linc asked.

"Nah. Still in training." Kaito said. "But I'm definitely going there one day!" Kaito said.

"Its good to have dreams… but I don't know anything about me. My name's all I know." Linc said.

"Relax there, buddy. It'll all come back to ya eventually." Kaito said.

"How can you be so sure I'll regain any of my memories?" Linc asked.

"I'm sure it will happen." Kaito said. "Trust me."

"All right." Linc said leaving. "I know one thing about me...I've never actually seen worlds outside mine before." he muttered to himself.

Linc still felt a bond to Kaito that he didn't know of just yet. Regardless, he proceeded to the next lab. Inside was a fancy looking table setting with a set table and a clean room. Inside was a woman with silver hair and dressed as a maid.

"Welcome." she said.

"Uh… thanks. Is this someone else's lab?" he asked.

"No, it is mine. I shall introduce myself. I am Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid. Please let me know if you require my service." she said.

Kirumi Tojo

Ultimate Maid

"A maid? Not sure how that is a talent...but I will choose not to question it." Linc said before bowing respectfully as he left.

As he headed out into the outside again to look for a way out, he soon saw a muscular looking man in a suit and glasses. He had long green hair, and despite having a suit on, he was still barefoot.

"This guy looks tough. I better be cautious." Linc thought. "Hello."

"Huh? Thank you!" the man said.

"Thank you?" Linc asked.

"Yes. Not many people wish to speak with Gonta due to how Gonta look. But Gonta is gentleman. Thank you for talking to Gonta." he said. "Oh, you need Gonta's name. Uh...Gonta's name is Gonta Gokuhara. Gonta's talent is Ultimate Entomologist." he said.

Gonta Gokuhara

Ultimate Entomologist

"Entomologist...so you study insects." Linc said.

"Yes. Gonta like catching bugs." Gonta said.

"So uh… you said you're a Gentleman?" Linc asked.

"It Gonta's main goal, to become true gentleman! Most greatest way of thanking family that raised Gonta for ten years after becoming lost in forest." Gonta said.

"Ten years? I see. I'm glad to have met you." Linc said.

"Gonta glad to meet you too." Gonta said.

Linc left after that before arriving at a waterfall where he sat to rest. As he did, he soon noticed a tan skinned girl with long white hair near him.

"Hey there. Didn't realize there was someone else here." Linc said.

"Nyahahaha! It is so nice to meet you too." she said. "Atua has definitely been leading you well."

"I'm...not sure how to take that." Linc said.

"I'm Angie Yonaga! I am the Ultimate Artist!" she said.

Angie Yonaga

Ultimate Artist

"An artist? Then I should be honored. I've never met an artist before." Linc said.

"Atua is pleased to hear you praise me." Angie said.

A boy soon approached dressed in black with a cap. "Angie...there you are. We need to report to the...Oh. So you're with that stranger." he said.

"Yes. I'm not sure what this place is. I am Linc." he said.

"I'm Shuichi Saihara. And I guess I'm the Ultimate Detective." he said.

Shuichi Saihara

Ultimate Detective

"I see. That's cool I guess." Linc said. "But it looks like we're headed to the gym."

"We?" Shuichi asked.

"I have nowhere to go right now. So I may as well find out the purpose of this place." Linc said as the three headed to the gym where everyone had gathered.

"So I'm sure as everyone knows so far… we've all met the supposed 17th student of this school." Kirumi said.

"Damn straight I met him. Frickin guy punched me in the face!" Miu said.

"You had that coming, admit it." Linc said plainly.

"Calm down. We're all tired from just waking up in random places. I'm sure they'll tell us what is going on." Kiyo said.

"Are they going to hurt us?" Himiko asked.

"Do not worry, because Atua is watching over us." Angie said.

"Again with the god thing? Not to go against it but…" Kaito said. "Anyway, I bet those bear things are gonna pop out. No worries. I'll kick all their asses."

But then, the ground began to shake as five large weapons appeared before them. "Rise and shine, ursine!" five familiar voices said.

"Machines?" Keebo asked.

"They're Exisals! High grades weapons platforms with a hometown feel!" Monokid said.

"Man, those things look dangerous…" Linc said.

"Oh, you're still here, kid?" Monosuke said.

"Well I can't seem to find a way out, and since you five idiots have me trapped here… I guess I'm the 17th student." Linc said.

"Idiots?! Thats it, I'm shooting this jerk right now!" Monokid said as the Exisal's machine guns aimed at Linc.

"Hold it there, bro! Pops doesn't want anyone shot up!" Monosuke said.

"Well then you're the idiot here, Monosuke! You forgot this kid insulted us!" Monotato said.

"I'm the idiot?! You're the idiot for forgetting things all the time, stupid ninja!" Monokid said. "And I was about to tell them the reason for being here. I'm gonna say it! A-"

"IT'S-A-KILLING-GAME!" Monodam said.

"Ah damn it, Monodam! I'm gonna pound ya into scrap for that." Monokid said.

"Not before I do that to you, jabroni." Monotaro said.

"Who you calling jabroni, jabroni?" Monokid said.

"Now, now now. It's not right to see my adorable little cubs fighting." a new voice said.

"Is that...Father!" Monotaro said.

"Papa Kuma in the house!" Monokid said.

"Daddy's here!" Monophanie said.

Everyone looked to the podium as jumping out from behind it was a black and white bear. "I am the god of this new world. And I am the headmaster of the Ultimate Academy! I am...Monokuma! Nice to meet ya." he said.

"Death Note, really?" Kaito asked.

"So you're the dad behind these five, huh?" Linc asked.

"Hmm…." Monokuma said. "Oh, kiiiiidsss…. I thought we were supposed to have 16 students this year. Where did he come from?"

"We- we don't know, Pops! He just showed up here like he owns the place or something!" Monosuke said.

"I'm not an idiot who speaks like a show off or an attention hog. I'm only here to escape. Now, explain the killing game you mentioned." Linc said.

"So to the point. Very well. Basically, you have to kill someone and get away with it without being discovered!" Monokuma said.

"After you kill someone, the blackened killer goes against their spotless classmates. If the majority votes for the right person, then only the killer get punishment." Monophanie said.

"And if you pick wrong, everyone except the blackened gets punished." Monosuke said.

"And...what is this punishment?" Ryoma asked.

"To put it simply….it's an execution!" Monokuma said.

"Execution?!" Gonta said.

"Yes. We go for a more permanent solution around here." Monokuma said. "And now that concludes the announcement. You now have free range to kill each other. So...happy murdering!" Monokuma said before he and the cubs left.

"Killing anyone here, this is insane. And now I'm in the middle of it." Linc said. "Guess I have no choice in this matter."

Watching from the Star Speeder were the three hero groups as they saw the scene unfold before them.

"Man…" Nana said.

"So it's true, it's really happening again." Rainbow said. "David, you don't have to watch any of this if you don't have to."

"I know I don't. I just…" David said.

"I'd say we go save them, but a high class show like that has to have some sort of crazy security system made to keep intruders out...permanently." Jexi said.

"But that guy, Linc… he got in without a problem." Sunset said.

"Yes. And I think I figured out why." Tails said. "I took an X-ray of the building and its foundation. There appears to be a large structure that's miles deep underground. Underneath the academy. It was hard to find it at first. The walls appear to have a mineral in them to keep x-rays from working as effectively."

"Well, that explains why Monokuma couldn't find it." Nagito said.

"Still, it's too convenient for him to just wander down there. He must've been kept there for quite some time." Ross said.

"And Monokuma and the Monokubs never bothered to check the structure they were building on top of? Seems like a huge oversight." Petra said.

"True. But that building...it could serve as an entry point. A way to get inside." Jexi said. "We'd just have to tunnel into it."

"But even then, it's too dangerous to send in everyone at once. We'd best send in a small team to avoid suspicion." David said.

"Agreed. Hope, stay out of this one. That producer knows your face so if you show up, he'll know something's up." Jexi said.

"I got it. Its best way to rescue all the students effectively if I don't show up." Hope said. "But if some of them die...I won't be able to take in their spirits."

"I don't think that'll be a problem." Mayumi said. "There's a powerful spiritual presence coming from that Linc guy. From one of the chains hidden under his cloak. In fact, I'm sensing incredible powers from 10 different chains."

"Power huh? Just who is this guy?" Asta asked.

Meanwhile in another location…

"Hey, boss! Come on! Ya gotta watch this show!" Victor said.

"You're still watching Danganronpa?" Diablo asked. "Isn't it getting old? You've seen almost every season. They're all the same. Students going around killing one a…." he said before seeing Linc. "Pause it there!"

"Huh?" Victor asked before Diablo paused the TV as he looked at Linc.

"It...can't be." he said before seeing one of the chains under the cloak. "He...he's alive." Diablo said in disbelief.

"Uh...something wrong? Who is that guy?" Victor said.

"Someone I thought was long dead. I haven't thought about him for about 20 years now. It seems surprising he's suddenly come back? Could this be...some kind of omen?" Diablo asked.


	2. My Class Trial, Our Class Trial

Linc had settled into the quickly made Dorm for him in the Dorm hallways. Casting off the tattered cloak, he set aside his chains and looked at the wounds that were causing him pain. He could see scratches and scars all over his body. "These cuts and scars...why do I have these? Maybe before I was put down...I was in some major battle? Hmm. Let's see...what do I remember? My name is Linc. Yes. I was down there for some reason but I don't remember why I was there. I know each of the chains wrapped around my fingers serves a specific purpose. As if...they were made just for me." Linc said to himself.

Linc then decided to sleep on it as he drifted off in the night. And it was no sooner that he found himself in a dream.

He found himself standing in the middle of a flaming hall as shadows with evil faces were running past him.

"What's...going on?" he said running down the hall to an office where he saw an angel stabbed in the back as one of the shadows were stealing different objects from a safe. He was horrified and then saw a figure that seemed half angel and half devil as they smiled evilly before rushing him.

"NO!" Linc shouted as he awoke with a fright and panted.

"8 am, punks! Time for some rise and shine time!" Monokid said on the intercom.

"Oh...it was nightmare. But those events...they felt so...familiar." Linc said to himself. He moved himself into the cafeteria as he sat down to breakfast as he ate to try and forget the nightmare he just had. He continued to wear the cloak as he ate. "Though, this killing game has everyone on edge. Those bears are idiots. No one is going to kill anyone just because they're told to. That's not how the psyche works." Linc thought as he ate.

"You're awfully quiet this morning." Kaede said.

"Its nothing you need to be concerned over. I just have faith this game will be over soon." Linc said.

"Me too." Kaede said. "I think we can end this before anyone kills."

"How do you propose we do that?" Linc asked.

"We need to find the mastermind. The one behind all of this." Kaede said.

"Mastermind, huh? Don't you think they would be hiding somewhere in secret and watching instead of being with all of you?" Linc asked.

"No, I think that one of the students here is the mastermind. But… It's not like they'll just reveal themselves in plain sight." Kaede said.

"Yes. I can agree with that." Linc said. "Seeing as how they are a mastermind they'll like to stay hidden. Judging by what you said...you wish to stake them out and catch them right?"

"That's right. We'll stake them out and catch them in the act!" Kaede said.

"If what you say is true, than the mastermind is possibly one of your classmates, one of your friends." Linc said

"Yeah… As much as I don't want to believe it." Kaede said.

"So we have to assume there's no one we can trust." Linc said. "And I just met all of you so I don't trust any of you. But perhaps there is no need to take action."

The monitors then flickered on.

"Attention students. I came to you all with something special. I've come to introduce...a motive!" Monokuma said.

"A motive?!" Linc said in shock.

"Why are you shocked?" Kaede asked.

"He's trying to give everyone a reason to kill." Linc said.

"The motive I bring is the First Blood Perk! The first student who murders someone...no class trial will be held and they get to leave scot free! Isn't that nice?" Monokuma said. "But there's a catch! If no one has killed anyone within 24 hours...then me and the Monokubs will slaughter all 17 of ya!" Monokuma said laughing before the monitor shut off.

"Judging by his voice he meant that. Okay, Kaede. I'm in. Let's catch the mastermind." Linc said.

"We'll need some help though." Kaede said.

"Help isn't all we need. We'll also need photographic evidence of them. We need cameras." Linc said. "Unfortunately we don't have any on hand. But that inventor idiot...she could probably make them for us."

"Miu? Well I guess so." Kaede said.

"She can build the cameras and set them up in one location. Hmm. Normally, only a single room in any place is ever suspicious...the library." Linc said.

"That's actually an accurate idea. So the library it is." Kaede said.

"We need to make this quick though, you heard Monokuma." Linc said. "We only have a day to get everything in order."

So Linc along with Kaede and some assistance from Shuichi began to set their trap for the mastermind inside the library. All of the precautions were set. Dust on the card reader, motion activated cameras, made by Miu, set up in the library and a special receiver in their hands as they headed into a nearby classroom to wait.

"Okay, trap is set. All we have to do now is wait for the mastermind." Linc said.

"This plan will probably work...I hope." Kaede said.

"I've attached the camera's to a sensor where they'll take a picture the moment someone enters the hall or the library." Shuichi said.

"So in one moment or the other, we'll have ourselves a mastermind. Hopefully." Linc said. "I'd hate to believe one of our own classmates is the one behind all this."

"But it's something we have to accept. With the time limit in motion, we need to capture the mastermind before their plan falls through." Kaede said.

"That's right. We need to do something before anyone kills." Shuichi said.

"You're right. Shuichi...there's something I've been meaning to ask you. You keep saying certain people are better than you. Why is that?" Linc asked. "You're the Ultimate Detective."

"I...should't be called the Ultimate Detective. I'm not...even a real detective. See, my uncle runs a detective agency and sometimes I would help out. It's normally just cheating couples and background checks. But one day...I came across a murder case completely by chance. I solved it before the police did and got the name Boy Detective. That's how I got scouted. But I wonder...if I even should have solved it. Later I heard that he murdered the victim to get revenge for his family. The victim was abusive. They drove the culprit's relative to suicide. Some said, he was right to do what he did. The victim deserved it. I uncovered the truth...and I'm still suffering the consequences for it." Shuichi said. "Ever since, I've been afraid to uncover the truth."

Kaede then took Shuichi's hand. "I wish there was a piano here, then I could play a calming song. Like Clair de Lune by Debussy. It's a soothing song that calms your heart like the moon's reflection on water." Kaede said.

"Your hand…" Linc said.

"You noticed. I'm shaking too. I would be lost without the two of you. I'm glad you two are here with me. You both give me the courage I need to take on the mastermind. I believe in you both so believe in yourselves." Kaede said.

"I can try. I can't promise I will, but I'll try." Shuichi said.

"A bond...between friends?" Linc asked himself seeing a small vision of himself with someone else standing on a hill as the sunset. "Yes...I think...I did have a trusted friend."

The receiver then began to sound an alarm.

"The receiver!" Shuichi said as they got to it.

"We already found the mastermind!" Kaede said.

"No. It's more than one person!" Linc said seeing a pic of Gonta, Kaito, Rantaro, Angie, Tenko, Himiko and Maki going to the library.

"I don't believe it… we got more than one?" Shuichi aksed.

"No. I think it could be any of them. But we need to move now." Linc said as they ran out of the room and down to the library where they found six out of the seven standing outside.

"Where's Rantaro?" Linc asked.

"Inside, but the doors jammed for some reason." Kaito said.

"Gonta, you're strong right? Can you force the door?" Kaede said.

"Forget it, I'll do it myself." Kaito said ramming into the door and breaking it open where they saw a hidden door behind a bookcase in the library close.

"Damn. We were too late." Shuichi said.

"So Rantaro is the Mastermind?" Kaede asked.

"No...I don't think he was." Linc said pointing to the side. They looked to see a blood covered shot put ball and beside it, the body of the only person who didn't reveal their talent...Rantaro Amami.

Shuichi then bent down and checked the body. "We're too late. He's dead." Shuichi said.

"This is a murder. Someone killed Rantaro." Linc said.

"So if Rantaro was the Mastermind… shouldn't the game be over?" Kaede asked.

"Like I said...I don't think Rantaro was the Mastermind. But he did seem to know about the hidden room. I'd ask him why if he weren't already gone." Linc said.

At that moment, the monitors flickered on.

"A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, a Class Trial will commence." Monokuma said on screen.

"That's proof of it. If Rantaro was the mastermind, Monokuma wouldn't be functioning." Linc said.

"That's right!" Monokuma said appearing in the room. "And contradictory to the announcement, thanks to the First Blood Perk, the first blackened can get away scot free. They just need to step up and admit they killed him."

The room was silent as soon every student had gathered in there, but none spoke up.

"I see. They have no need for the First Blood Perk. They would rather do a Class Trial. Very well then. I officially declare this investigation time! You have a short time to gather clues and investigate the crime. After which, the trial will begin! Good luck!" Monokuma said before leaving.

Linc looked at the remaining 15 students. One way or another, one of them was the killer.

"We know what the murder weapon is. A shot put ball." Linc said picking it up. "Enough force applied, one of these could crack a person's skull clean open. Question to wonder is how they got enough force into it. Something we can figure out in the class trial."

The students spread out to investigate as Linc was left on his own. "Hmmm." Linc thought as he noticed the books on top of the shelves were stacked like stairs and the vent was open. He also took a look at the camera that Rantaro died in front of. He then pulled out the photo to see it bright. "Bright? The flash. We must not have turned it off." he said to himself. "This is what attracted him."

With some of the other students, they were questioning who would be the culprit.

"It has to be that Linc person. He's the most suspicious, since he came out of nowhere." Kokichi said.

"I knew that he was the one to strike first! Typical degenerate…" Tenko said before two of Linc's chains grabbed them as he scowled.

"It couldn't have been Linc. He's been with me and Shuichi the whole time." Kaede said.

Linc calmed down a bit before releasing the two. "She's right. I'm not the killer. But I'll find out who is." Linc said. "In honor of Rantaro."

"For Rantaro." Shuichi said as they continued to investigate.

After a short while, the monitor soon blared.

"You know, I'm getting bored. So let's start already! Head to the waterfall in the garden so we may begin!" Monokuma said.

The group soon arrived there as the waterfall shook before parting to reveal the entrance to an elevator.

"Whoa…" Kaito said.

They all got in as the elevator took them all underground. This elevator then lead to hallway, going into a large courtroom. 16 podiums in all.

"Now, each of you take the podium with your name on it. And 17th, since you were a surprise, you can have Rantaro's." Monokuma said.

"Understood." Linc said going to it. "This is it. Someone really killed Rantaro. Someone murdered another person. And now, we have to find out who...or we all pay the price." he said taking the stand with everyone else.


	3. Trial of Rantaro Amami

"I'm sure I told you all this already, but a refresher never hurts. So… Let me explain the basics of the class trial." Monokuma said. "During the trial, you will present your arguments for who the killer is, and then vote for whodunit. Vote correctly, and only the blackened will be punished. But, if you vote incorrectly, I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will graduate from this academy. Also, refusing to vote will result in your death. So, you better vote for someone. Now, let's get this crazy awesome, crazy-awesome trail underway!"

"So, it's starting huh?" Kaede asked.

"Hahah, oh man. I haven't been in a public trial in forever!" Kokichi said.

"This coming from a Supreme Leader almost half the age of an adult?" Linc asked.

"Well, of course I've been in trials before. Heheh… I've done a loooot of bad things." Kokichi said.

"So, what do we do first? Where do we even start?" Kaito asked.

"Gonta never done trial before. Not sure where to start." Gonta said.

"First, let's breathe in. And breathe out. We need to remember our NO NO NO's!" Tenko said. "No pushing, no running, no talking!"

"But communication is the key to any debate process." Keebo said.

"Keebo's right. But this isn't a formal trial. There's 16 of us. Anyone of us could be the killer." Linc said.

"Agreed. Each of us will be serving as a potential culprit, lawyer, prosecutor and jury member. Let's proceed with that in mind, shall we?" Kirumi asked.

"Then might i offer the first topic?" Kiyo asked.

"Shut up! You trying to get ahead of us or some crap?!" Miu asked.

"We need to start somewhere." Kaede said.

"Atua has spoken. We must hear everyone's testimony." Angie said.

"That said, Kiyo you had something to say. Why don't you start?" Kaede asked.

"Isn't it odd, that the culprit didn't take advantage of the First Blood Perk?" Kiyo asked.

"They probably wanted to do a class trial real bad." Ryoma said.

"Either way, let's start with the how he died. He was alone in the library when he was killed." Angie said.

"He was in there for one reason, because he knew about the hidden door. He was masterminding this whole thing!" Kaito said.

"No, that's wrong!" Linc said. "I took possession of Rantaro's belongings. To open that door, he'd need a card key. None was found."

"Perhaps the culprit took the card key after killing Rantaro." Keebo said.

"Not possible. He wasn't holding anything like that. And also, the card reader wasn't used. I placed dust on it so if it was used, the dust would fall. Therefore...the door wasn't used as an escape point." Shuichi said.

"If he was killed, we wouldn't have this trial. The game would have already ended." Maki said.

"You are correct, the possibility of him being the mastermind is low indeed." Kirumi said.

"Then how Rantaro know about hidden door?" Gonta asked.

"He couldntve stumbled upon it like Shuichi did." Linc said.

"Got that right. Theres also another theory… someone told him about it." Ryoma said. "Probably the mastermind. An ingenious trap...to lure him in and kill him."

"Wait… So the mastermind and culprit are the same person?" Keebo asked.

"We can't be sure about that yet… But one thing is certain, it's one of us." Ryoma said.

"Boy you guys are so slow." Kokichi said. "Because I already know who the culprit is!"

"What? That would make this the fastest class trial in history!" Monokuma said.

"Do you really know?" Linc asked.

"Yes! Obviously whoever designed the cameras knew about Kaede, Linc and Shuichi's trap." Kokichi said.

"Well, who is it?" Miu asked.

"Miu, you were the one who designed the cameras, remember?" Linc asked.

"What? But I just made them. I didn't know they would be used for that!" Miu said.

"So you think the one who made the kill is Miu? Kokichi, I don't think that's the case." Linc said.

"That's right. She was with me, Tsumugi and Kirumi in what we thought would be our last supper." Kiyo said. "Although, Tsumugi had to use the girls' bathroom for a moment."

"She could have disguised herself as someone." Ryoma said.

"Doubt it. She told me if she does non fictional people, she gets cospox. I don't think she could do it." Linc said.

"That's alibis for all four." Shuichi said. "None of them could have done it. But that still leaves one of us."

"What about the seven who went to the basement?" Miu asked.

"Who went to the basement?" Kiyo asked.

"Let's see: Tenko, Himiko, Maki, Angie, Gonta, Kaito...and Rantaro." Linc said.

"And the mastermind might be one of them." Angie said.

"Why are you so nonchalant about it? That includes you too!" Tenko said.

"Angie, what were you doing around the murder?" Linc asked.

"They were with us down in the basement. We were having a strategy meeting. But Rantaro left in the middle of it." Kaito said.

"That must be when he headed for the library, and was murdered." Shuichi said.

"The idiot forgot already. Gonta also left during the meeting." Maki said.

"Yeah!" Kaito said. "Hey, wait a sec! Idiot?!"

"Gonta, where were you during the murder?" Linc asked.

"Gonta in A/V Room. Gonta watch bug movie to psych spirit for battle with Monokuma." Gonta said.

"Gonta, you do know that the A/V room connects directly to the library, right?" Linc asked.

"Then...Gonta prime suspect? Gonta is gentleman though, and gentlemen not kill!" Gonta said.

"Plus, how are bugs suppose to put ya in a fightin mood?" Monotaro asked.

"Terrible idea! Like puttin ketchup on a hotdog." Monosuke said.

"You have no alibi, Gonta. We don't know what you were doing during the murder and we can't trust what you have to say." Linc said.

"All Gonta need is alibi? Okay. Just tell Gonta where to get one!" Gonta said.

"You have to speak your case, Gonta. That's how you get an alibi. If we vote for you and you're not the culprit… we all die. Just tell us why you couldn't be the culprit." Kaede said.

"Okay, Gonta will try!" Gonta said. "Gonta...can't be killer. Gonta go through Game room first where friends are."

"He could have easily opened the sliding doors and killed Rantaro." Miu said.

"Wait, the sliding doors!" Linc said. "They're linked to the camera. If anyone opened then, the camera would have snapped a pic. Only Rantaro got caught on film. So...Gonta couldn't have done it."

"He could have if he knew the intervals." Miu said.

"Wait, intervals?" Linc asked. "You never told us about intervals."

"Uh...I knew. I must have forgotten to tell you." Shuichi said.

"You knew and didn't tell Kaeidiot or Lanky?" Miu asked.

"They were probably in such a hurry to get the trap ready that Shuichi neglected to tell them." Himiko said.

"Or perhaps...because Shuichi kept it to himself on purpose. In order to strike." Kiyo said.

"Shuichi… you gotta come clean man, are you the culprit?" Kaito asked as Shuichi remained silent.

"I know he wouldn't do it. If he doesn't stand up, we will lose and he dies with all of us." Linc thought.

Kaede was thinking about this, too. She had to find some way to take control of this trial.

"At this rate, Shuichi will be voted for. I have to do something. I...need to tell a lie." Kaede thought.

"She's considering lying. There's no need to lie though." Linc thought looking at Kaede.

"Shuichi could have snuck off and turned the camera off and finished Rantaro off!" Miu said.

"No. For that, you need the receiver. Kaede had it, not Shuichi." Linc said. "But Miu, about those intervals."

"Ugh, fine. I'll explain em. The camera can't take another picture for 30 seconds after it snaps a photo." Miu said.

"So the killer had about 30 seconds to use the weapon to hit Rantaro before the cameras were charged." Linc said.

"Exactly! So if Shuichi knew about the intervals, he used them to his advantage to kill Rantaro. He's the culprit!" Miu said.

"No, Shuichi isn't the culprit, I'm sure of it!" Kaede said.

"This is problematic. It seems we're split down the middle on this topic." Kirumi said.

"H-hold on a minute!" Monokuma said. "Split? Did you just say split? Hahaha! I heard it all through my belly button microphone!"

"Wait, so your ears don't do anything?!" Tenko said.

"The Ultimate Academy is proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds!" Monokuma said.

"Morphenomenal? You mean this court's gonna…?" Linc asked.

"It is! It's gonna transform! This I gotta see!" Kokichi said.

"It's come to this. I know Shuichi isn't the one who killed Rantaro. I just know it. I have to make sure to defend him." Linc thought.

(Cue- Scrum Debate: Danganronpa V3 Soundtrack)

With both sides set on their opinions, several gears appeared in front of Monokuma's seat. He then whipped out an odd key and turned a lock on them as they changed into a picture of his right eye. The podiums then began to float up into the air as each of the students were on opposite sides.

Is Shuichi the Culprit?

"You hid what you knew about the camera intervals, Shuichi." Kiyo said.

"Gonta!" Linc shouted.

"But Miu silent about intervals as well." Gonta said.

"Unlike Shuichi, i actually have an airtight alibi!" Miu retorted.

"Kaito!"

"Kaede and Linc backed up Shuichi's alibi, didn't they?" Kaito asked.

"Shuichi, Kaede and Linc weren't together the whole time, were they?" Maki asked.

"Kirumi!" Linc shouted.

"All three of them were together when the receiver went off." Kirumi said.

"If Shuichi had the receiver, it could have been disguised." Ryoma said.

"Keebo!" Linc shouted.

"But it was Kaede who actually had the receiver." Keebo said.

"But that's Linc's lie, isn't it?" Kokichi asked.

"I've got this." Linc said. "We'll know whether if it's a lie or not when we talk it through."

With all the arguments set, both parties arguments pushed back and forth in the form of rockets, but Linc and his party prevailed.

Full Counter!

"This is our answer!" Linc said along with Kaede, Kaito, Keebo, Kirumi, Gonta, Tsumugi and Angie.

And with that, all 16 podiums reset to their original positions.

(end song)

"Shuichi...he isn't the culprit. If we vote for him, everyone will be killed." Kaede said.

"Trust Kaede. She's right to say that." Linc said.

"Okay, so Shuichi isn't the culprit. But he hasn't even said a single word since the intervals came up." Himiko said.

"And unfortunately, we are out of leads." Kiyo said.

"Maybe whatever Shuichi's remaining silent about… might get us some leverage." Linc said. "Who am I kidding? I already know what he's thinking. He's come to the same conclusion I have." Linc thought.

"Dammit, Shuichi! If you've got something to say, say it!" Kaito said. "Without you, we're going nowhere!"

Shuichi shuddered, refusing to open his mouth out of fear.

"Shuichi, don't give in to regret and fear from the past!" Linc said.

"Huh?" Shuichi asked.

"If you give in to fear and regret, you go nowhere. Shuichi...expose the truth...for Kaede and the promise between you two." Linc said.

Shuichi was silent before he finally said something. "...The picture."

"Huh?" Kaito asked.

"The picture from the camera aimed at the hidden door, just before the murder." Shuichi said.

"Yeah, that's the thing we need, Shuichi." Linc said as he took the picture out. "Shuichi has a point. Take a look at the picture taken at that exact time."

The picture compared to the others was brighter.

"Why does it seem so bright?" Himiko asked.

"Because of the flash. It was deliberately left at its highest setting, why? To lure Rantaro over to it." Linc said. "So he could walk into the culprit's death trap."

"But how could the culprit use the Shot put ball from that location?" Kiyo asked.

"They rolled it." Shuichi said.

"Rolled it?" Tenko asked.

"If you get a shot put ball rolling at a good speed, when it drops, it can definitely cause a fatal kill." Linc said. "And I know how it was possible. The air vent in the library...it was purposely left open. And the one who opened it…" he said raising a finger. "Was Kaede."

"Oh...you noticed that." Kaede said.

"You said you were checking for a good place to hide a camera. But I know the truth...you were setting up the trap." Linc said. "That's why the books were set up like stairs, to guide the ball down onto Rantaro's head."

"Kaede… killed Rantaro?" Gonta asked.

"That's the truth of the case." Shuichi said as suddenly the scene shifted to panels of a Comic book. "It all began when Monokuma gave the additional motive. The time limit added to this killing game triggered the crime. So we began setting up a trap, to catch the mastermind and end the killing game. But, there was something we didn't expect. One of our members had plans of their own. As soon as Rantaro moved the bookcase, he triggered the receiver and the camera took a photo with the flash on. I ran out of the room with Linc, both of us now realizing that was our last chance to stop the murder. They took out the shot put ball from their backpack and tossed it into the vent. As we ran, it rolled down the vent and down the line of books. Normally it could be heard, but the promotion video Monokuma made hid the sound. So it rolled till it was over Rantaro and hit him on his head, killing him instantly. When we saw the mess, the culprit probably thought 'The Mastermind is dead. We can all go home." But the truth was the mastermind isn't dead, because Rantaro wasn't the one. That's the truth behind your lies, Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist." Shuichi said.

"Kaede, with everything that had happened in the days passing… you had to do this, right?" Linc asked. "You wanted to kill the mastermind...so you could free everyone."

"I'm sorry. I had to do this." Kaede said.

"Why…? You were so insistent that we'd all get out of here together. If you had just been a little less selfless, you wouldn't need to kill…" Shuichi said.

"I'm sorry, everyone. Really, I am." Kaede said.

"Okay, enough of the mushy stuff! It's Voting Time!" Monokuma said.

"Guess there's no choice…" Linc said pressing Kaede's mark. The roulette wheel spun before landing correctly on Kaede.

"Ding ding ding ding! It was Kaede, good job! Unfortunately for her, she's blackened, and eliminated the hard way." Monokuma said.

"Linc, Shuichi, please… don't forget the promise I made to the two of you. Keep everyone safe, and get out of here together!" Kaede said.

"Kaede..." Linc thought. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you and Rantaro live on."

"Okay, everyone! Let's give it everything we got! Its...PUNISHMENT TIME!" Monokuma said as he banged the red button with his gavel.

The screen then showed an 8 bit Monokuma dragging off Kaede.

Kaede has been found guilty

Punishment time will now begin

Kaede looked nervous as she looked all around. A collar then descended from the sky as it grabbed her by the neck and hauled her up high into the sky.

She was then seen falling before landing on something long and white, large piano keys. The lights turned on to show she was on a giant piano with spikes and thorns inside the case. Standing before it was Monokuma in a conductor's outfit as his children lifted Kaede with a noose around her neck.

Der Flowahlzer

And in mere seconds, as Monokuma dropped the conductor's rod, Kaede was banged furiously against the giant piano keys at high speed. She was being choked as Monodam and Monokid moved to keep up with Monokuma as he conducted faster and faster. When the final key was hit, Kaede was hanging in the air. As the case closed, Monodam shoved Monokid in the way as the case shut, killing both him and Kaede, his head rolling on the ground.

"What the hell?" Kaito said. "What just happened? It looked like Kaede was dropped in the case, but..."

"Monodam! You murdered Monokid!" Monotaro said as Monophanie vomited at the sight.

"Why the heck would that robo-bear batanly kill one of his own siblings?" Linc asked.

"Yeah Monodam! Why'd ya do it?!" Monosuke asked.

"No use crying over crushed cubs. I still got four left, so no skin off my bones." Monokuma said.

"You don't have skin, or bones!" Tenko said.

"Our existence means so little to him." Monotaro said.

"Well...bye bye!" Monokuma said as he and the remaining four cubs left.

"Well, that was settled. Let's get back to the dorms." Himiko said as the others left.

"Yo, Linc. Ya comin?" Kaito said.

"Just a minute. You go on without me." Linc said. "I won't be long." he said as the students left him alone. "It's best they don't know about my abilities yet." he said. "I know Rantaro's spirit probably saw this happen. So...Number 6: Spirit Chain." he said as one of the chains on his right hand shot out as it wrapped around two things, the spirits of Kaede and Rantaro.

"What the?" Rantaro said.

"What...what is this?" Kaede said before the two of them were sucked into the chain as it retracted.

"Each of my chains serves a different purpose. Number 6: Spirit Chain, allows me to bound those who have departed. In other words, a chain that bounds spirits." Linc said to himself before he grasped his heart. "What...what is….AAAAHHHHH!"

As he screamed he soon saw himself as a newborn, born inside a prison as a man in white looked at him. He then saw himself being raised in that prison before seeing himself walk the halls of what seemed like a prison.

"Linc...for generations, we've done our best to make sure these criminals, Law Makers gone rogue as well as those who misuse them, stay away from modern society. One day, you may have to lead this place when my time comes." he said.

"So...that would mean never leaving?" the young Linc asked.

"Yes. As one who guards, you are never to leave this world or area. You are bound to it by obligation." he said.

"I see. Then...I guess I have no choice." Linc said as the scene ended.

Linc was seen panting after. "That's right. I lived there. I worked there. That place was my home...and my prison." Linc said to himself.

Meanwhile with the Heroes…

"Did you get all that?" Hiyoko asked.

"He lived and worked here. He was a Guardian." Daisy said. "An ancient order of Law Makers that made sure those who misuse their gift to make their laws or those who use laws for evil stay locked and confined for eternity."

"But they all went kaput when their last prison fell due to a mass riot. Judging by the looks of things, this has to be it. It was lost to lore, but only a small few still believe." Damien said.

"Then him being in this killing game really is no coincidence." David said.

"Yes. He's most likely the last Guardian around. And those chains around his body, they're likely a Law he made for himself." Damien said.

"So he's now in the game permanently. But how does this affect others watching across the worlds?" Hope asked.

With Diablo and Victor...

"Guardians? Boss, what are guardians?" Victor said.

"They were a faction of Law Makers who sought to keep those who misuse them or make them for evil locked away for an eternity. But the job has a downside, the Guardians would stay in the prisons they're assigned to for eternity themselves. Never hoping to have dreams or going into the outside world." Diablo said. "So even if he makes it out of this killing game, he will never catch us."

"But...how do you know how they might feel?" Victor asked.

"Because 20 years ago, when I was still a child...I was one of them." Diablo said.


	4. A Thin Line Divides Heaven and Hell

It was early in the morning where Gonta had Linc come out with him to find insects.

"Hello? Bugs? Come out, Gonta wanna talk to you!" Gonta said.

"I don't think that's the right way to have insects come to you, Gonta." Linc said searching the ground. 'Huh?" he said before seeing something written on the ground 'Horse A.' it said.

"Words written on ground… that what Linc find?" Gonta sked.

"Yes, they say Horse A." Linc said.

"What phrase possibly mean?" Gonta asked.

"You don't know either huh?" Linc asked.

"Sorry...Gonta not reliable." Gonta said.

"It's okay. You're good for a lot of things." Linc said. "And so am I. We can work well with everyone." Linc said. "I should probably keep quiet about my ability and my memories slow return until I find people I can trust." he thought.

Later, in the Dining hall…

"Good Morning Linc. You're up early." Tsumugi said.

"Yes. Gonta had me search for insects with him. It brings up a lot of questions though." Linc said.

"Yes. Linc say on search that it unusual for there to be plants and trees. But no bugs or animals anywhere. Gonta find it anyway. But swore he saw tiny bug and Gonta have good eyesight. Must be seeing things." Gonta said.

"We also found something unusual. Letters on the ground, spelling out Horse A. Maybe it could mean something." Linc said.

"I wouldn't worry about that. Atua says we will all be safe anyway." Angie said.

"Again with that God thing. You know what I think…?" Miu started before Shuichi walked into the room with Kaito. And Shuichi looked different.

"Morning, everyone." Shuichi said.

"Shuichi, you took your hat off." Linc said.

"I know. I don't need it right now anyway." Shuichi said.

The day went on as Linc went off by himself to think.

"Let's see. My memories rose to the surface when I took in Rantaro and Kaede's spirits. So, it could be the shock of taking on foreign souls caused them to rise up." Linc said to himself. "I want to remember more...but I don't want to see more classmates die. Damn it… What am I supposed to do?" Linc shouted to himself.

"You need to try and protect everyone as best as you can." a voice echoed.

"Huh? Are you...my inner voice?" Linc asked.

"Uh...yes. I am your inner voice. Linc, you must try your best to protect everyone. And if a classmate is killed, you will find the culprit." the voice echoed.

'Okay...I'll try." Linc said.

"That's all I ask of you, Linc." the voice echoed as the voice was Jexi throwing his voice in a vent.

"It's a coincidence I was able to find that vent." Tails said. "But why do this for Linc?"

"Linc...he's been stuck here his whole life. I want to give him some hope for the outside world." Jexi said. "I've known what it's like to be stuck in one place. So...let's hope that Linc can get out as well."

"True that. But… Is hope really the answer?" David asked. "There's just this...nagging feeling I've got about all of this."

"David, I know this whole thing is a personal matter to you, but you must remain vigilant. If the director spots us, the whole plan is in shambles." Sectonia said.

"Hope not the answer? Hmm. It's strange for me to say but...I think I agree with you." Jexi said.

"You do?" David asked.

"Hope is normally something people rely on when they have nothing left. Hope, with his time in the Blue Lanterns, he relies on it a lot, so it's infectious. But...if hope isn't the answer, then what is I wonder." Jexi said.

"Hope and despair are both very subjective matters. They both mean different things to different people." David said. "If the answer is not hope or despair, then maybe the answer lies...somewhere in between."

"Yes. That seems...plausible." Jexi said before standing on something. "Hmm?" he wondered before picking up a strange flashlight. "What the heck is this?"

"That's one of the Flashback lights that Monokuma explained on TV. He used it to bring back some memories to the students." Tails said.

"And since we know it's a reality show, I doubt the memories are even real." David said.

"Still, I think we should take it back. I'll take it apart to see how it works." Tails said.

"Meanwhile, the rest of us sent here will support Linc from the sidelines." Sectonia said.

"It would be best if it was a different person for each trial, just to keep the mastermind and director guessing." David said.

"Everyone is safe in the prison/base. And we'll swap out people and teleport them back with my teleportation device." Tails said. "No way to trace the signal and no way to find them."

"That's a good plan. But should we infiltrate the class directly?" Sectonia asked.

"Out of the question. If we do, we'll definitely be spotted and pulled in." David said.

"David's right. For now, infiltrate the class trials and if we're lucky...we can somehow force the mastermind and the one running this show into a corner." Jexi said.

"We'll need Nagito's kind of luck to pull something like that off. But if the 77th class ends up getting spotted, things will get even more complicated." David said.

"That's why we instructed them to stay on the ships." Jexi said. "Especially after seeing season 2 of this show."

"It might be for the best." David said.

"For now...we're gone." Jexi said as they disappeared in an instant.

The next morning, Linc was now working outside in secret as he was practicing using his chains for combat as due to a new drive that was lit inside of him the other day by the heroes. "Hmm. Problem is I need to practice on moving targets and this place lacks living creatures. Hmm. Ryoma's got tennis ball launchers in his lab." Linc said heading off to Ryoma's lab. "Ryoma!" he said knocking on the door and went in to see no one inside. "Huh? Guess he must have gone to Himiko's show."

He then went to the gym to see a giant setup. Himiko's show had a water tank and everything.

"Oh, Linc! Perfect timing!" Kaito said.

"Hey guys. Whats all this? I thought HImiko was doing a magic show." Linc said.

"She is! It's an escape artist magic trick. Himiko's going into that sealed tank and if she doesn't escape, she's gonna get devoured by piranhas." Kokichi said.

"Piranha's? Isn't that a little dangerous for a little girl?" Linc asked.

"Himiko shall be okay, because she has magic." Tenko said.

"Well someone's obviously supportive." Linc said.

"Quiet, degenerate! I know Himiko has magic powers! And i know that she made a bet with you to prove she has them." Tenko said.

"Damn, if she pulls this off, who knows what'll happen to you if you lose?" Kaito said.

"She did not specify the conditions." Keebo said. "Shouldn't that make you a little nervous?"

"I don't know. It depends on what she has thought up." Linc said as Himiko came on stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Prepare to witness a feat only the Ultimate Mage can accomplish, as i prove once and for all that magic does exist." Himiko said.

Himiko then got into the tank as the curtains close and timer started up. They waited for a bit before Gonta got up when the timer reached 20. "Gonta can't wait anymore. If Himiko not escape, she get eaten by piranhas."

The timer soon reached 10 seconds. "Uh...there's only ten seconds." Keebo said.

"I don't care if it ruins the trick, just open the curtains!" Tenko said before the timer reached 0 as the tank with the piranhas opened as several murky shapes fell into the tank below. "Open the curtain!"

"I am opening it now!" Angie said as the curtains opened, everyone astonished by what they saw. Inside was Ryoma, unconscious and cuffed as the piranhas circled his body. They quickly rushed and began eating away at him until nothing remained but his skeleton as it floated down to the bottom of the tank with the water colored a bloody red.

"Oh my god!" Tenko said.

"Ryoma…" Shuichi said.

"Guess that explains why he wasn't in his lab…" Linc said.

"Damn it… we never saw it coming." Kaito said.

"You're darn right you didn't!" Monokuma said as his voice came over the speaker. "I knew that new motive was enough to get at least one murder!"

"This is not good. What was the motive? What did he use to try and get any of you to kill?" Linc said.

"Don't tell us you forgot, Linc. He sent motive videos to each of our rooms." Maki said.

"Well, the thing is… I never got one." Linc said.

"You didn't?" Shuichi said.

Monokuma was then seen slumped on the ground. "I searched every database for something on him i could use… but all I found was a whole lotta nothing. He's got no records or anything."

"Of course he wasn't going to find anything. The Guardians were a secret faction. There's no info on any of them anywhere." Linc thought.

"Anyways, that doesn't matter! A new murder means an investigation is underway! Gather everything you can before reporting to the trial room!" Monokuma said as the screen fizzled out.

"Oh man, this precise kill is more scattered. It's hard to tell who is the blackened now." Keebo said.

"I think it's plainly obvious! Himiko did it!" Kaito said pointing at Himiko.

"Nyeeeeh..." Himiko nervously groaned.

"We don't know that for sure. We can find out at the trial." Linc said. "Let's just investigate."

Linc then approached the tank where Ryoma's bones still sat on the bottom. "Ryoma...you were a good guy. How could...wait...why didn't Ryoma try to escape when the piranhas circled him?" Linc thought. "Could it be...he was already dead before being eaten?" he thought before seeing a clear pane of glass on the bottom as well. "What's this? It looks like this is some sort of divider. With this, it would make easy to put Ryoma in the same tank as the piranhas. But...I need to figure out who could have done this. There's only one way to do that…I have to uncover the truth."


	5. Trial of Ryoma Hoshi

"Yeesh… I've seen some brutal deaths in my lifetime, but forcing him to drown and then feeding his corpse to piranhas? That's just messed up, dude!" David said observing the trial from a safe location.

"At least he was already dead when it happened." Sectonia said.

"These killing games are whack. Each death and execution more brutal and gruesome than the last." David said.

"Be glad you never had to participate in one. There was a lot of craziness in the first killing game. Not as crazy as this, but still crazy." Lacy said.

"Yeah. I'm sure Hope and the CHS girls can tell you all about that. But anyway, the fact of the matter is that Linc has to proceed through this if we have any chance of ending this once and for all." David said.

"We have to provide a guiding voice to him during the trials, but how can we without the others hearing us?" Sectonia asked.

"I'm sure Linc can figure this one out without our help. He did very well without us helping in the first trial. We shouldn't give him any tips or help." Tails said.

"Then what's the point of us being here? We're just standing here like deers in headlights as the carnage unfolds." David said.

"David, you have to understand something. There's a saying i like. If you give a dog one too many treats before a trick, he won't be able to move forward. We help Linc too much, he'll just get stuck." Tails said.

"Tails, this is obviously very personal to him. You know it's going to keep bugging him as long as the game's still running." Sonic said.

"But if we try and get out there, we'll get mowed down by those Exisals." Tails said.

"There has to be a way we can help those students without being attacked." Todoroki said.

"I know there is, I just don't see it yet." Tails said.

"Wait, the Exisals are piloted by the Monokubs, right? Won't they all be attending the trial?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"Well, yeah, Of course. Wait, that's it! You're a genius, Yaoyorozu!" David said.

"Uh..thank you." Yaoyorozu said.

"So the only time the school is defenseless...is when a class trial starts up. That's the point of weakness." Jexi said.

"And the only time we can deploy some help." David said.

"I think it's about time we turned the entire viewing audience on their heads." Jexi smiled evilly.

"Yeesh, because of his rep as a hero, it creeps me out when he smiles like that…" David said.

In the courtroom…

"So, seeing as how you know the rules, let's start the trial!" Monokuma said.

"Okay, everyone! I'm going to give this my all! Let's work together to uncover the culprit!" Tenko said.

"Well someone's eager to get going…" Kokichi said.

"The obvious culprit from the get-go is Himiko, and she and Tenko are pretty tight. So it's obvious Tenko's fired up." Linc thought. "But...I just know that she's innocent."

"Let's get the obvious fact out of the way. Ryoma's body was found in the tank that Himiko escaped from." Shuichi said. "But… did anyone find it odd? Ryoma didn't make any movement to escape the tank at all."

"I did." Kiyo said. "I could tell with one look at Ryoma suspended in the water… that he had already passed into the land of the dead."

"The only question is how did Ryoma get in the tank with Himiko performing her trick?" Kaito said.

"It's not a trick...it's magic." Himiko said.

"That's not the part you need to deny. Just tell us why you couldn't be the culprit!" Kaito said.

"Himiko, no one is denying your skills at this point. But all tricks, even yours, have points that make them happen behind the curtain. In order to prove you didn't kill Ryoma, we have to pinpoint the mechanisms used in that Escape trick." Linc said.

"It's not a trick...it's magic!" Himiko said.

"Ugh, she's not admitting it at all.." Kaito said.

"It's alright, we'll figure it out on our own. And there's already something I know was involved in the trick." Linc said. "The empty space in the staircase. When I was investigating with Shuichi...I found water by the stairs, meaning they were involved in the trick in some way."

"In other words, after freeing herself, Himiko slipped into the staircase as water filled the interior. She then used a door to get out." Shuichi said,

"But her clothes were still wet at the time. That's why there was a puddle near the rear of the staircase." Linc said.

"But Himiko can't get wet! Her body repels water!" Tenko said. "She was dry when she came back in!"

"I have an answer to that. It wouldn't have been hard to have a spare uniform set out to change into after escaping from her own trick." Linc said.

"And she might not have enough time to dry her hair. That's why she brought a towel with her as well." Shuichi said.

"Well, Himiko? Did we hit the bullseye?" Kokichi asked.

"Nyeh...Nyeh….Well, there is an empty space in the staircase...and a secret door on the other side so someone could get out if needed. But….I didn't use them cause I have magic!" Himiko said.

"Magic or not, that just about clears up Himiko's innocence.' Shuichi said.

"But if Ryoma died from drowning, how can we tell the precise moment he died?" Kiyo said.

"It had to have been before nighttime yesterday." Linc said.

"How can you be sure?" Tsumugi asked.

"Simple. The gym was closed at night time, so no one would be allowed to enter." Linc said. "That much is true. But even if the door is closed, there is another way in...through the window."

"But if someone entered the gym during nighttime, it would've went off." Monophanie said.

"You talkin' bout my butthole?" Monotaro asked.

"No! She's talking about the alarm!" Monosuke said.

"Geez, you're stupider than you look, Monotaro. I never said they would have to enter, they could easily stand on the window sill." Linc said.

"Is that even allowed?" Kaito asked.

"Last time we were asked that, we ruled it as okay since they didn't actually touch the gym floor." Monosuke said.

"But how culprit able to take Ryoma's body from window to opposite end of the room?" Gonta asked.

Linc thought about that answer before coming upon the rope dropped from the window. "Does anyone remember that fulcrum tied to that rope we found? Well...I finally figured out where it came from...Ryoma's lab."

"Wha?" Tenko asked.

"Before I came to the underwater escape trick, I went to Ryoma's lab to find some equipment for training. I knew he always had some spare ball launchers, so I thought I'd ask him for some. But… He wasn't there, so I thought he went to see the show with everyone else." Linc said. "Then I realized...the fulcrum from the rope...is from one of the tennis nets in his lab!"

"The culprit used the fulcrum, tied it to the ripe and used it to make a connection to both windows!" Angie said.

"Exactly, almost like a zipline. But in order to carry a body and the killer, you need something pretty big…" Linc said.

"That's where that inner tube I found comes in." Shuichi said.

"Inner tube?" Linc asked.

"No doubt the culprit used it during the murder, but because it took place during nighttime, they were unable to retrieve it from the pool." Shuichi said.

"But the speed from that zip… you had to have applied a break, but with nothing but your hands, you'd get rope burn…" Linc said before locking on to Kirumi. "Unless...you were wearing gloves!"

"What? That's preposterous!" Kirumi said.

"Not as such as you might think." Linc said holding some black cloth. "I found this in the pool. I was gonna pitch it but it seemed important so I held onto it."

"That cloth…!" Kaito said.

"It's not just any ordinary fabric. This is a fabric only found on some pretty nice gloves. And there's only one person here who wears black Gloves…" Linc said. "It's you, Kirumi!"

(Cue- Dangan Ronpa V3: Climax Return)

"I've got it! The Truth of the case!" Shuichi said. "The victim's body was found this morning, during Himiko's Underwater Escape Act. After Himiko went into the tank, the piranhas were dropped in, which made us think her escape failed. Of course, it was all part of the act. Himiko's escape went perfectly. But when Angie opened the curtain in front of the tank, we saw Ryoma with piranhas swarming around him! Before any of us could react, the piranhas devoured Ryoma's body. Nothing was left but his bones and the metal handcuffs around his wrists. This was part of the culprit's own twisted little magic trick. The night before, just 5 minutes was all it took to tie the rope to the window frame and use the lid of the piranha's tank as a partition. After, they asked Ryoma to meet in his lab. He was most likely knocked out from behind. After which, he was handcuffed and then, they shoved his head into the water in the sink. They anticipated he would struggle so they made sure he was properly restrained. It didn't take long before Ryoma was dead, but the murder didn't stop there. They removed the cable from the tennis net, and hung it from the window facing the pool. And then, at the pool, they connected the wire and the rope from the gym window. They returned to the lab after picking up one last thing... the rubber inner tube from the pool's tool shed. Once back in the lab, the culprit pulled the cable, bringing up the rope. They pulled until the rope was taut, then tied it to the lab's window frame. And thus, the gym and the lab windows were connected by a single rope! After making a hanger of sorts with another length of the rope tied to the inner tube, they rode it down to the gym. But when they were picking up too much speed, they used their hand to grab the rope to reduce friction, no rope burn because our culprit used gloves. But having used their own gloves, a piece of cloth was ripped off one of them as they arrived at the gym and placed Ryoma's body gently into the tank, completing the murder scene. However, there were two fatal mistakes. The other being that the inner tube fell in the pool, and the culprit was unable to retrieve it, due to the rules against swimming at night. So those two pieces of evidence were left behind, the piece of fabric, and the inner tube."

The final scene showed Shuichi pose dramatically as the culprit's silhouette revealed Kirumi.

"That's the whole story. Am I wrong, Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid?" Shuichi asked.

"I see...as a maid, I must fulfill my master's every requests. But now...I must surrender." Kirumi said.

"Okay...now that that's settled. Its….Voting Time!" Monokuma said.

The roulette spun and spun before Kirumi's icon showed up.

"And it was Kirumi!" Monokuma said.

"But why commit a murder like this?" Linc asked.

"Oh, don't you know?" Monokuma asked. "I guess it's no surprise you don't, buuut...Kirumi's motive has more weightier policies on her."

"What?" Shuichi asked.

"It's true!" Kirumi suddenly said in an outburst.

"Yes...because little Kirumi there happens to be...the de facto Prime Minister of Japan!" Monokuma said.

"What?!" Linc asked in shock.

Jexi and David just watched in shock from the TV in their hidden base.

"They're seriously planning to go this far for a show?" Jexi said in shock.

"That would be crazy if it was true." David said. "But… something seems off about this. It seemed a little...exaggerated. Of course, it's Monokuma, so we'd never know."

"Now you see the reason! I couldn't be killed here, even if it meant killing another! I refuse to die!" Kirumi said as the red button appeared.

"Kirumi...run." Linc said.

"Huh?" Kirumi asked.

"Go! Run, just run as far as you can!Escape before it's too late!" Linc said as Kirumi faded like madness overtook her.

"Dave, time to get to work." Jexi said.

"Understood!" David said as he headed towards an Exisal.

"Now then, I have a very special punishment for Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid." Monokuma said. "So let's give it everything we got! Its...Punishment Time!"

"No...no...I WILL NOT DIIIIIIIIEEEEE!" Kirumi screamed as she ran.

Monokuma slammed on the button to show an 8-bit Kirumi running away with Monokuma in pursuit.

Kirumi has been found guilty.

Punishment will now begin.

Kirumi was still running down a hall as two separate mobs surrounded her with no means of escape. But in the moment she thought that, a rope dropped in from of her. But while it was her salvation… it was a rose stem, covered in lots of spiky thorns.

Strand of Agony

Kirumi reluctantly grabbed the rope, the thorns piercing into her hand as she started her climb up higher and higher as her hands bled. But as she climbed higher and higher, there came out several buzzsaws that started spinning. She continued to climb even as they dug into her. But when she thought she had reached the exit, a cockroach crawled across the sky, revealing it to be a picture. The rope snapped as Kirumi fell from up high. As she did, Monodam bumped into Monosuke, making him lose his glasses, after finding them, Kirumi landed on him, breaking him apart. Kirumi was shredded and bleeding immensely, but just when the Coup de Grace in the form of a piece of paper was about to seal her fate...

Two of the Exisals broke into the room as one grabbed her.

"What the? This wasn't in the script!" Monotaro said.

"What in the?" Linc said.

"Listen well...it doesn't matter how long it takes...the killing game will end." the blue exisal said before it and the yellow one jumped off.

"What the heck was that all about?" Kaito asked

"Doesn't matter. Even if Kirumi is resuscitated, she is in no condition to continue." Monokuma said. "On an important note. Monodam, why did you destroy Monosuke?"

"WE-DID-NOT-NEED-HIM! WE-KUBS-MUST-GET-ALONG! WE-DID-NOT-NEED-MONOSUKE-OR-MONOKID. WE-ALSO-DO-NOT-NEED-YOU-FATHER!" Monodam said.

"What the heck is that greenie sayin?" Miu asked.'

"I-AM-SAYING….THE-AGE-OF-THE-MONOKUBS-IS-AT-HAND!" Monodam said as he left with the kubs.

"Okay.. now that green one's kind of "starting to freak me out." Linc said.

"You're telling me. Monodam's never acted like that. But it's so cute. I think I'm gonna sneeze." Monokuma said before swelling and then exploding.

"He exploded!" Tenko said.

"Was that the green one's doing, I wonder?" Linc thought as he left for Ryoma's Lab. He then used his spirit chain to take in Ryoma's spirit before feeling the pain. "Ahhhh!"

He then saw himself in a small empty room as he was drawing designs for something involving chains.

"Linc…" a voice said as the old man entered.

"Oh...Master!" Linc said.

"Are you still drawing ideas for your first law?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm wanting to create the perfect one. One that capture anything. Spirits, power users, even other law users. Chains that can do almost anything." Linc said.

"Well, it will be the first law you ever create. But that's not why I am here." he said stepping aside to show another boy his age With pure white hair and a blank look on his face. "This boy is Diego. Like you, he is also a law maker. His parents were tragically lost in an accident so he came to us on their behalf. I'd like you to get along with him." he said.

"It's a pleasure to work with you." Diego said with a bow.

"Likewise." Linc said before the memory ended.

"Diego...that's right. He was...my best friend. And these chains...I made them." Linc said. "These chains...are my law."

Linc

Law of Imprisonment: Each of the ten chains on his fingers has a different function be it capturing spirits or detaining those with powers or other laws.

"I wasn't able to save Kirumi. I just hope...she'll find peace." Linc said.

The two Exisals were left in a nearby field as Jexi and David were hurrying down the tunnel.

"How's she doing?" David asked.

"She's barely alive and lost a lot of blood. We need to get her medical attention before she passes away for real!" Jexi said.

"Don't have to tell me twice! Let's move it!" David said.

What is to become of Kirumi? Only time will tell.


	6. Transfer Student from Beyond the Grave

The next morning, Linc was by himself as he walked the school grounds, leaving the others to do their own thing.

"These memories...I feel like they're all painting a picture for me but I can't make out what it is. Something happened to make me lose them in the first place but I don't know what." Linc said to himself as he grasped his chest. "Ugh...Rantaro, Kaede, Ryoma...I know you all want to be free but you're going to have to wait for a long while longer."

He continued to walk the grounds as he remembered what he saw in Maki's Room and how Kokichi was grasped by her after the trial.

"You could snap my neck like a twig, but that isn't your style. You prefer to kill from the shadows, isn't that right, Miss Ultimate Assassin?" Kokichi said in his memory.

"The Ultimate Assassin? It would explain the weapons, but then again, Kokichi could be lying about this like a lot of the other stuff." Linc said to himself. "Maki...just what is going on with you?" he wondered. "Maybe I should have just stayed down in the prison, then I wouldn't be feeling all this pain."

"Dont regret being in this Game. You've made so much of a difference already to back out now." a voice echoed.

"You again. Maybe you're right, but should i really keep going? I feel so much pain, and i only have three spirits. I don't want to house all 16 and be the only one left."

"The rule of the game is that it will keep going until there are only two people left." the voice said.

"No...I can't...deal with all this pain. I can feel their agony...their sadness...and their regrets." Linc said.

"Their despair…?" Another voice said. "We completely understand how you're feeling, but now is not the time for regrets."

"We? How many of you are there?" Linc asked.

"Don't worry so much about the number. Just keep going and carry on their wills to the very end." the voice said.

"I see. Fine. I'll take on as much as I can." Linc said leaving.

"That was innovative. At least we didn't stuck with the Inner Voice thing." Tails said.

"We are doing the inner voice thing. Just doing multiple voices." Jexi said.

"That's right. But this next trial is going to be even tougher." David said.

"How so?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"Because if I remember correctly from all the other killing games I binge watched on the way here… The third case...is always a double murder." David said.

"He's right. The first one was Hifumi and Ishimaru. The second was Ibuki and Hiyoko." Twilight said. "And given the motive that was announced on TV a few minutes ago, the double murder scenario is likely."

"They already announced it? What is it?" Jexi asked.

"A Transfer Student….resurrected from the dead." Twilight said. "They get to choose one of four of the deceased people to bring back."

"We've already recovered Kirumi, so as far as we know she's out. But they don't know that Linc has the other three souls. It won't work anyway." David said.

"We know that, but they don't. I suspect they're treating Kirumi as dead because they don't want the ratings or viewers to drop from the show." Jexi said. "The fans seem to enjoy the executions and trials. They hate it when something messes with it. That's why we pulled that stunt the other day."

"What kind of person even watches this kind of crap with a straight face, anyway? The whole thing's nuts!" David asked.

"Given it's broadcasted on the Villain's Network as well as others...I suspect a lot." Rainbow said.

"But wait a second, how come the 77th class is involved in the show? They're still with us, right?" Eijiro asked.

"Oh yeah, i guess you didn't know. Take a look at this." Rainbow said bringing up her laptop. "Apparently before the show went reality, it was aired as an anime to start out with before slowly evolving into a reality show."

"I don't know what's worse: The fact that the director's desperation desecrated our world, or the fact the people watching get off on this." David said.

"Speaking of Kirumi, where'd you guys take her? I hope to a very good medical facility, she was banged up pretty bad." Eijiro said.

"She's being doctored up by our medics on the Star Speeder. It'll be awhile before she even regains consciousness." Jexi said.

"For right now, we need to lay low until the next perfect opportunity to save a student from execution." David said.

"We can't stop people from killing, but we can definitely save those with good intentions." Jexi said.

It was back in the morning that Linc finally returned to the main building.

"Looks like I violated the new student council's special no going out at nighttime rule. I better go apologize to Angie." Linc said walking to the Art Lab where he tried to open the door but found it locked. "Huh? Angie? Are you in?" he asked but heard no response.

"Why hello there!" said a voice as Kokichi arrived.

"Ugh, I don't have time for your crap, Kokichi. I need to apologize to Angie but she locked her door." Linc said.

"Move." Kokichi said getting two long needles out as he stuck them into the lock for a bit before the door unlocked. "Voila! It's wide open!"

"Okay, I'm gonna come back to that later. But for now, I need to….to…." Linc stuttered. Inside the room were four effigies of the four killed victims with a katana in the Kaede one. But on the floor lied the body of Angie Yonaga, dead on the floor.

"Angie!" Linc said rushing over. "Damn, I knew that motive was too good to be true."

"I know." Kokichi said walking in with his hands behind his head.

"Kokichi, you seem so nonchalant about this. Maybe you can be a little more helpful and actually help me get evidence, because I think a killer is on the loose." Linc said.

"There is no need to gather evidence." a voice said as Kiyo stood at the door. "Because we can converse with Angie ourselves."

'What are you talking about?" Linc asked.

"I'm referring to a seance, of course." Kiyo said.

"The Ultimate Anthropologist wants to conduct a summoning ritual for the dead?" Kokichi asked.

"How can you be so sure it will work? Some of the stuff you delve into is almost as hard to believe as Himiko's magic." Linc asked.

"Nyeeeh… I'll use real magic someday. You'll see!" Himiko said.

"It will, trust me. I'll have the ritual prepared shortly. I just need a vessel for the soul to communicate through as well as three other people to join with me." Kiyo said.

"I'll serve as the vessel!" a voice said as Tenko stood outside. "Angie, Himiko and I were close friends. So it's only suitable that I be the one her spirit enters."

"Very well. Then allow me to prepare the ritual." Kiyo said.

"But… Tenko." Himiko said.

"I have to do this, Himiko. If you were the medium, you won't be able to say goodbye to her." Tenko said. "I know it's hard to express your true feelings, but… Sometimes it's just best you let it all out. You'll… You'll feel better afterwards."

"Tenko…" Himiko said.

It wasn't long before a magic circle was drawn in one of the empty rooms as Tenko was in the center with Kokichi, Linc, Kiyo, Himiko and Shuichi in the room.

"Very well. We will now begin." Kiyo said as Tenko knelt before a stone as Shuichi and Linc put a iron cage over her. Then Kiyo covered it in a white sheet. "Now...in a moment, I will ask you all to blow out your candles and sing the song of the Caged Child."

"Maybe you do that one, Shuichi. I can hardly carry a tune." Linc said.

"Fine." Shuichi said as everyone blew out their candles and started singing.

Linc could hear the voices of the others as in the darkness, there felt like something was happening around the room.

"Is the caged child...Angie Yonaga?" Kiyo asked for a bit but no reply.

"Uh...is this normal?" Himiko asked.

"No talking. But something's not right. Light a candle and let's see to our medium." Kiyo said.

They lit a candle as they walked into the circle and removed everything on top of the cage. When they did, they saw a puddle of blood near Tenko.

"Tenko? Tenko!" Himiko said running into the circle and onto the cage to get it off. Himiko just looked in shock as Tenko lied there, lifeless and gone. She was indeed dead.

"She….she's dead." Linc said.

"No, Tenko…" Himiko said.

"This is a double Murder. First Angie, now Tenko. One of us has stepped up their game." Shuichi said.

"And it's going to be much tougher to solve." Linc said.

"Hmm. Just curious though but...if there are two murders, what would we investigate exactly?" Kiyo pondered.

The monitor then turned on.

"I can answer that! Then there are two murders, its first come first serve. Only the blackened of the first case will be punished, the other gets away scot free." Monokuma said.

"Unless it just so happens that the same person killed both of them." Linc said.

"While that's usually the case, it can't be proven unless the murders are somehow connected." Kiyo said. "And there's no proof showing who was involved."

"He has a point. For all we know, there could be two murderers." Shuichi said.

"That is a possibility. Angie's room was locked so it's a locked room mystery. Right now...we need to figure all this out." Linc thought. "Two more are gone...and I need to find out who committed these kills...before we all pay the price."


	7. Trial of Angie and Tenko

"This double murder trial has some major implications attached. I hope you studied up on the evidence, because this trial will have more than two dead bodies on the morgue." Monokuma said.

"And don't you try anything funny over there, Monodam. You've killed two of your siblings already, I'm not so convinced you will stop with them." Linc said.

"I-WILL-NOT-BRING-MYSELF-TO-" Monodam began.

"Shaddup, robo-dork!" Miu said.

"Even so, the victims this time are Angie and Tenko." Linc thought. "I can't imagine how hard this is on Himiko."

"Who did it? Who killed Angie and Tenko?" Himiko said with a serious look.

"Oh...revenge. Yeah, I kind of expected that. Now, the first thing to think of is how Angie's room was locked. The weapon was the gold leaf katana from Kiyo's room, but how were they able to get in and out so fast?" Linc pondered. "Wait...the effigy!"

"The effigy?" Maki asked.

"Kaede's effigy had the katana jabbed into it. If the culprit spun it around, the thing would spin, allowing the katana to lock the back door of the room so easily. But it left gold paint on the handle, an obvious clue." Linc said. "Because the gold leaf on the katana comes off very easily. That's how they made Angie's murder a locked room mystery."

"Nice catch there, Linc." Kaito said.

"Well obviously I don't want Himiko to go with her gut and assumptions. Think of me putting the trial in the right way." Linc said. "Besides, I still think we can catch our two blackened. Now the first thing I want to seriously get into...is Tenko's murder."

"Tenko's murder… It happened during the seance, right? So those four there were there would be the prime suspects." Kaito said.

"Very true. And I know the weapon that killed her." Linc said showing a sickle with blood on the blade. "This sickle was the murder weapon. I found it under the floorboards."

"There's blood on the sickle. Wait… If that was used to kill Tenko, then it could only have been…" Tsumugi said.

"That's right. It was right beneath the cloth during the seance." Shuichi said. "It was weighed down by the dog statue so it would be kept in place."

"Though the only problem is we don't know how the killer found their way to Tenko. The circle was made with salt so we sort of accidently destroyed the evidence." Linc said.

'Um… I-if I may." Keebo said.

"Yes, Keebo?" Linc asked.

"When I was with Miu...she added some functions to my body. A flashlight...and an image recorder. I can create photos from images from my memory." Keebo said.

"Really? Then show those photos to us, tin man." Kaito said.

"Here it comes." Keebo said processing the data before the photo of the circle was printing out of his mouth.

"An...interesting way to make it." Linc said taking the photo. "Wait...the circle points to the center. It diverges from the original design. I see. This was how the killer was able to follow their way to the center. They felt the lines and let them guide their way to the center and then used them to head back to where they were after killing Tenko."

"But there's no way anyone of us could memorize the circle like that and kill Tenko so quickly in the time the lights were out." Kaito said.

"Actually, that's not true. The one who made the circle would know it. And...that was Kiyo." Linc said.

"Kiyo? But… wasn't he the one who suggested the seance in the first place?" Tsumugi said.

"He did. That's exactly why it could only have been him." Shuichi said.

"Kehehehe… you think it was me who killed Tenko? I suppose you could be right, but… was it me that also killed Angie?" Kiyo asked.

"I don't know about Angie… but I think I have enough proof to show you killed Tenko." Linc said.

"Oh?" Kiyo asked.

"The blade wasn't there when we set the cage, it could only have been placed there when you covered it in that cloth. And I also noticed one of the boards was missing its crossbeams. You followed the line when the lights went out, made your way to the center, felt for the board, and then stomped it, lifting Tenko and piercing her neck with the sickle, killing her instantly." Linc said. "You even intentionally made it with salt so we would accidently destroy some evidence. If it wasn't for Keebo, I wouldn't have figured that out."

"Kehehehehe..." Kiyo said. "So this must be how each blackened felt whenever they were exposed."

"So...you admit it?" Shuichi asked.

"Yes...you and your friend are correct. I killed Tenko." Kiyo said.

"You...you really killed Tenko?" Himiko said in surprise.

"Yes. I admit it...I did kill her." Kiyo said.

"Then I guess we got a murderer! Let's vote for this guy already." Miu said.

"I wouldn't be too hasty. If you all vote for me, you all will be condemning yourselves as well, as I am one of you spotless." Kiyo said.

"But you just…" Linc said.

"This trial is for Angie Yonaga. I admitted to killing Tenko but I have yet to confess ever killing Angie." Kiyo said.

"Speaking of Angie, what was she doing with the effigies in her lab?" Kaito asked.

"The ritual. To bring a classmate back. She was killed before she could even...wait...what if...she was killed somewhere other than her lab?" Linc wondered.

"To perform the ritual properly, she would need a candle to burn the Necronomicon, right?" Maki asked.

"Yes. No doubt she would have gone to one of the empty rooms and grab one from there." Linc said. "And that must have been...when she walked in on Kiyo setting up the murder. She walked into the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So Angie's murder was unplanned. But why would Kiyo kill two people if to graduate needed one?" Kokichi asked.

"Because he wanted to kill someone with the seance trick. So after Angie walked in, Kiyo knocked her out and dragged her back into the Art Lab. After setting the room up with an occult vibe, he took the gold leaf katana, and stabbed her in the back of her neck, finishing her for good. It was then he set up that locked room mystery." Linc said.

"So you're saying Kiyo killed both of them? Why?" Kaito asked.

"He should've stopped at Angie… There was no need for him to kill Tenko!" Himiko said.

"Enough! There is no sort of…" Kiyo said.

"The floorboard." Linc said.

"Huh?" Kiyo asked.

"When I checked out the room...I checked out the floorboard, there was a dry patch of blood, as if someone used it earlier. It was how you knocked Angie out, with the same board you used for the seance trick." Linc said.

"That… how could you notice that?!" Kiyo asked.

"I don't leave anything behind, Kiyo." Linc said. "And don't go saying that it was a coincidence that room was picked. All of the rooms were trapped. Right, Kokichi? You found a floorboard like that in one of the other rooms, right?"

"Well, I didn't so much find it as much as I stepped on it and tripped." Kokichi said.

"But there's one piece of damning evidence that will solidify your guilt! This!" Linc said holding a piece of bloody tape.

"What? How did?" Kiyo said.

"This was still on Angie's body. This was to make sure no blood leaked onto the scene of your seance. You've been very precise up to this point. But this small oversight overall was what caused your argument to fall apart." Linc said.

"Grrrr! How dare...you cannot!" Kiyo said before lowering his mouth mask to reveal his lips had lipstick on as the lower part of his face was more feminine.

"It's okay, dear Korekiyo, you fought as best as you could." he said. "Of course, dear sister."

"So...I think we know it all now. Angie Yonaga and Tenko Chabashira were both murdered by the Ultimate Anthropologist, Korekiyo Shinguchi." Shuichi said.

"Is that all? Well then, without further ado...it's voting time!" Monokuma shouted.

After everyone voted, the roulette wheel spun and spun until Kiyos image appeared as a winner.

"Jackpot! Kiyo is the murderer of both Angie and Tenko!" Monokuma said.

"Though we only cared about the first kill, the second was just pointless. So pointless I forgot who the second victim even was." Monotaro said.

"But why? Why did you kill them?" Linc demanded.

"Simple. I made a promise with my sister...that I would send her 100 friends. It was all for her. My sister, my dear deceased sister!" Kiyo said.

"You know… I don't feel sorry for you at all. After what you did, I agree with Himiko all the way. How about you join your sister, in hell?" Linc said.

"Kehehehe! I will savor it. I may not have been able to send her 100 friends, but at least we will be reunited soon. I await her embrace." Kiyo said actually looking forward to his execution.

"If you wanna join your dead sister, then allow me to help! Let's give it all we've got! It's….PUNISHMENT TIME!" Monokuma said drawing his gavel and hitting the button.

An 8 bit Monokuma then ran across the screen and dragged of Kiyo.

Kiyo has been found guilty!

The punishment will now begin!

Japanese music then began playing as Kiyo was suspended and tied up in ropes in a japanese style room.

Cultural Melting Pot

Monotaro and Monophanie then began to rapidly spin him around and around before stopping as a samurai cut his rope, making Kiyo fall through a hole in the ground into a gigantic pot of boiling water. He sat in the pot, unable to escape as the water scalded him. Monotaro and Monophanie then began tossing wood onto the fire to intensify it as Kiyo was beginning to bleed from his eyes. As the two ran out of wood, Monodam suddenly charged into the flames himself as he was consumed by them, making the water incredibly hot as Kiyo was slowly sinking further and further until he was completely submerged.

His soul them left the pot as he took on his human form and saw a girl spirit flying towards him. Before the two could embrace, jumping out from behind was Monokuma who started throwing salt at him making him melt as the girl started to do the same. Kiyo was in agony before melting away completely into nothing as Monokuma and the girl stood atop a temple building.

"Wow…" Kaito said.

"His soul was definitely destroyed. No way I can take him in." Linc thought to himself as the others left. "But if I'm gonna keep my word…" he said using his spirit chain to capture Angie and Tenko's spirits and take them into his body. He then felt pain. "Here it comes again. AHHHH!"

He then saw himself on a hill with Diego as they looked at the sunset.

"Linc...you know they just have us prisoners here right?" Diego asked. "Do you really want to spend the rest of your life in some dying prison of a dying faction?"

"I understand how you feel, but this is all I've ever known." Linc said. "Not sure if I could do anything other than this."

"I know what I'd do. I once heard there's a school on this world that deals with prodigies of different talents. My dream...I want to be able to help nurture the talented of the future and help them be the best to their ability." Diego said. "It would either be a school or a business."

"That dream...sounds kinda cool to me." Linc said before they saw some guards escorting several cloaked figures into the hole. "Whoa! New prisoners! What did they do?"

"They're law makers who tried to make all powerful laws through the taboo." one of them said.

"The taboo?" Linc asked.

"That would be...trying to make something living into a law right?" Diego asked.

"Yes. It's something that has to never be done. All life is sacred. It can't be messed with." another of the guards said as Diego was focused on the figures.

"Maybe...they just wanted the freedom to know...a way for them to always be free." Diego said mesmerized by what the crooks had done as the memory ended.

"That's right. That was the day...everything started going to hell." Linc said.

Back with Victor and Diablo…

"Whoa boss…. I think your former buddy's getting close to remembering everything." Victor said.

"I figured. It was only a matter time before he started to reach those memories." Diablo said.

"If he reveals the truth about what you did in the past… do you think Talent Corp might be in trouble? And our plans as well?" Victor said.

"No. My past means nothing. There was no record on that prison and no info on the people inside. Once you enter, it's all erased." Diablo said.

"He was muttering something about a taboo...what's that suppose to mean?" Victor asked.

"One must never make a law from something living." Diablo said. "The very same taboo that caused the end of the last guardian prison as well as the birth of Talent Corp aka The Hobbyists."

"What do you mean?" Victor asked.

"Victor...you have seen my law in use before right, but you've never seen the vessel used for it, correct?" Diablo asked.

"Yeah, we've always wondered how you can use your law. What sort of item did ya use?" Victor said.

"To answer, the vessel is not something physical, therefore it cannot be broken. What I refer to you is the human soul." Diablo said.

"The soul… so you're not human anymore?" Victor asked.

"You don't need to go that far. I am human, but my soul is a law on its own. So, for your feeble mind, you can refer to me as a living law." Diablo said. "With the soul as my law, it can never be broken nor can it be cancelled out. Though some things come at a price. I had to give up the ability to make new laws, but that is something I can live with. One is all I need."


	8. Live and Let the Languid World Live

"The more memories I retain from absorbing the souls of the blackened and killed, the more i realize what my life meant. And yet… I still feel empty. Do I even want to start remembering those events? The point in my life is where everything around me fell apart?" Linc asked himself as he was pounding his fist into the wall of the building.

"That's not true!" the voice said.

"Gah! Don't scare me like that." Linc said.

"Sorry. But if everything falls apart, it's just all the more reason to live the best life you can from that point on." the voice said.

"How would you know?" Linc asked.

"Because...there are people out there who have lost everything they held dear, resolving to cherish what they had left." the voice said.

"I see. But if I do remember everything and escape this place...then at some point I'm gonna have to face him again." Linc said.

"It's tough to fight a former friend, I know. But think of it this way when you recover your memories… things will get better." the voice said.

"I see. But just so you know, fighting Diego won't be my priority when I escape. The priority for me when I get out...is making sure they get a second chance at life." Linc said feeling his heart. "And for that...I need to stay alive." Linc said heading out.

"What is he talking about?" David asked.

"I might have an idea. Have you ever heard of the Forest of Long Lasting Life before, David?" Jexi said.

"I...don't think so. When I was in my vigilante days, I was studying mythology, but it never came up." David said.

"You wouldn't find any record on it. Not too many people even know where it is. It's a forest that had long lasting life. The plant life and animal life inside have never even died. It's guardian is Lucy, user of the Life Style of Ultimate Color Fighting." Jexi said.

"But for all we know, Linc might just be talking about releasing the souls he's collected." Sectonia said.

"I doubt that. I saw that look in his eye. He really intends to go and find it and her." Jexi said. "Even with time against him."

"Time?" David asked.

"Lucy can bring the deceased back to life, but there's a catch to it. She can only bring back those who have died within a year and only once." Jexi said.

"But...could he really be able to do that? Find that forest?" David asked.

"Right now, it's hard to stay. But...his odds are 50-50." Jexi said.

"Well, all we can do is hope everything goes well for him once we shut this whole thing down for good." David said.

"Yeah. I suppose that's all we can do for him at that point." Tails said.

"By the way, Sectonia. Did you really have to use that line on him?" Jexi said.

"The held dear part? Why?" Sectonia asked.

"Nothing. It's just...it brings back memories from when we fought." Jexi said. "When you still ruled with an iron fist and we had to…"

"I know. No had no other choice." Sectonia said.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. We didn't know about the Dimension Mirror at that point." Jexi said.

"We were so focused on the Kaima, we never thought about it." Tails said.

"However this time, she used it to inspire resolve in Linc. I think this is a sign that she really has changed for the better since then." David said.

"Speaking of which… when do you guys want to find Dark Meta Knight?" Tails said.

"Y-You want to help us find him?" Sectionia said.

"We'll have to tangle with Symonne and anyone who might intend to use it for their own purposes. You think you're up for it?" David said.

"We wouldn't be standing here with you if we did not help you with your problems too. We want to help you as much as we can and defeat Dark Meta Knight." Tails said. "Right, Jexi?"

"Symonne is still out there and so could be Dark Meta Knight. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to help." Jexi said.

"Thanks. But the main problem is that it can be virtually anywhere. I mean, it wouldn't just stay in one place." David said.

"Not if we can track their last known locations somehow. I still have some of Symonne's energy cataloged in the database. I could use that to find her somehow." Tails said.

"No doubt she'd be somewhere with a lot of dark energy. As a dark seraph, she'd have the advantage with that." Sectonia said.

"As for Dark Meta Knight… do we even know where he might be?" Erica asked.

"She said that Black was the one who told her to bring the Mirror to Floralia, right? Wherever it is, she wouldn't be far behind." David said.

"That's right. If we're lucky, we can take them both out at once." Sectonia said.

"For now, let's just focus on helping out Linc from the shadows like we normal." David said.

"Right. Shutting down this series of killing games comes first." Jexi said. "And with the number of Monokubs being cut down after each trial, it's becoming easier to navigate the grounds without the constant threats of Exisals."

"There are only two Monokubs left now, right?" Sectonia said.

"Provided that one of them was destroyed during each execution, then yes." Jexi said.

"I'm surprised Monodam committed suicide in Kiyo's punishment. Didn't he say he was gonna…" Erica began.

"The other kubs were bullying him and pretending he didn't exist. He thought the punishment was the perfect way to get out of it." Todoroki said.

"He couldn't handle the pressure they were putting on him…" Kabuki said.

"All that's left are Monotaro and Monophanie. Monotaro's got the attention span of a squirrel, while Monophanie is the only girl among the Kubs, and probably the only sane one left." David said.

"Meaning after those two fall, Tails will start Operation Sabotage." Jexi said.

"Operation Sabotage?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"Basically, I'm gonna disable the weapons systems on the Exisals." Tails said.

"Yep. All we have to do is wait for the last two of them to do each other in and then we can claim free reign over the place." Jexi said.

"And it certainly won't be long until that happens." David said.

Meanwhile, Linc came into Miu's lab and saw a large console with a red X and a sphere in the center in front of lots of chairs.

"What the heck is all this?" Linc asked.

"Lanky, about time ya showed up!" Miu said grabbing him and throwing him onto a chair. "Have a seat, we weren't ready to start without ya."

"Miu, I get you guys don't want me missing out on anything, but what is that massive thing I'm looking at?" Linc said as Miu rushed to it.

"I give you my best invention yet! It's a multi-linked, real life action, VR gaming system for all of us!" Miu said.

"You built this thing?" Linc asked.

"Hah, i know, right? When you've got the brains of a supergenius and the bod of a goddess, it's only natural to show both off." Miu said.

"So why show this to us now?" Kaito asked.

"Probably to take our minds off this whole killing game thing. I'm surprised you of all people would do this Miu." Linc said. "It seems...off."

"Nonsense. Please, use it." Miu said.

"Fine." Linc said.

"Just remember, the red cord goes in the left port of the helmet and the blue cord goes on the right." Miu said.

"What happens if they're both in the wrong ports?" Tsumugi asked.

"Don't know. Never tried. Probably some kind of error." Miu said.

Maki sighed. "Lets just get this over with…"

They connected their helmets and logged in to the virtual world. Linc found himself staring at a mirror with a Chibi version of himself.

"What the...GAH! What the hell, I shrunk!" Linc said.

"Calm down, Lanky. It's just a visualization of the virtual you." Miu said looking the same.

"You couldn't have made them look more human like. This tiny body is ridiculous." Linc said.

And at the same time, the heroes were watching.

"Wow. Sunset, is that the same thing that happens to you in the Yokai room?" Erica asked.

"No, it's totally different." Sunset said. "That's all done with the computer to make it more...entertaining. And there's no Yo-kai room. It's just an empty room I made look like a classroom."

"I use the same room too. But with Pokemon instead of Yo-kai." Twilight said.

"One of the yo-kai even said that they would easily take me in a fight." Sectonia said in a giggle. "I certainly would've liked to see him try."

"Yeah, that was not Unfairy's biggest moment." Sunset said. "He was just bitter cause during your evil reign, you beat him and sent him flying with a single attack."

"That easily, huh?" David asked. "If a rematch were to happen, I wouldn't like his chances."

Back in the virtual mansion.

"So, what exactly have you brought us here for, Miu?" Linc said before noticing everyone else had left. "Guys? Whoa, I'm not usually so out of the loop." he said. "Might as well look around and check this place out."

Linc's chibi form waddled about as he found Maki standing by herself.

"Maki?" Linc asked as he approached her.

"Oh...hey." Maki said.

"Look, I know we haven't talked much since I got here, but… something's been bugging me." Linc said.

"It's about what Kokichi said that night, isn't it?" Maki asked.

"Yeah, I may have overheard what he said. So… I'm just gonna ask it right out. Is what he said true? Are you actually The Ultimate Assassin?" Linc asked.

"Yes. What he said about me is true." Maki said.

"Whoa…" Linc said. "That means you're one of the most dangerous people in the world."

"You're right. The Ultimate Child Caregiver accolade for me wasn't exactly set in stone. I had trained myself as an assassin in the event my orphanage would be attacked." Maki said.

"You trained yourself to be the deadliest assassin known to the world just to protect the kids you lived with? I feel you." Linc said.

"You probably figured it out when you saw the weaponry in my lab. I didn't really want to reveal it to anyone, but Kokichi somehow knew about it." Maki said.

"Yeah nothing seems to get by that brat." Linc said. "Maybe...I should tell her about myself. About the laws, about everything about me." Linc thought to himself.

"You're thinking about telling me about your Guardian heritage?" Maki asked.

"Wha?" Linc asked.

"I'm not blind. I saw you absorb the others. You really think anyone would notice you doing it repeatedly?" Maki asked.

"Oh. You… You saw all of that?" Linc asked.

"A perk of being an assassin is that you can be as stealthy as you want and no one would notice." Maki said. "The only exceptions were Kirumi because she was taken by those mysterious figures after her execution and Kiyo because his was exorcised."

"Yes. That was due to my spirit chain ability. One of the ten from my Law." Linc said taking off his cloak to show lots of chains on his body as well as scratches and scars. "I figured it best to keep all of this hidden from the others. At least until we have the mastermind in our sights."

"What're you gonna do… with the souls of the killed? After this, I mean?" Maki asked.

"I'm keeping that private. That's for me to deal with. My burden to bear." Linc said.

"Alright. I won't pry any more." Maki said.

"Maki…" Linc said as he thought he saw something fall past the window. "Huh? What was that?" he said opening it to look around but couldn't see anything.

"What is it?" Maki asked.

"I thought I saw something move…" Linc said. "Or fell…No...it couldn't have. Not here."

"It's a murder, definitely." Maki said. "We need to get out of this world and make sure everyone is okay."

Maki then lead to a telephone inside. "So how does this…" Linc began.

"Maki Harukawa." she said before vanishing.

"Oh...Linc." Linc said as he vanished. His vision then went black. "Ah! I'm blind! I'm...Oh...it's just the helmet." he said taking it off before seeing a startling sight. Miu, sitting upright in her chair lifeless and cold as with a shocked expression on her face. What he saw was Miu's cold, dead body.

"My god!" Tsumugi said.

"How is this even possible?!" Kaito asked.

"The only way someone would be able to kill someone like this… is if they killed Miu inside the Virtual World." Linc said.

"So you're saying someone committed a murder in Miu's own game?" Himiko asked.

"Yes. That's the only way she'd be like this." Keebo said.

"That means one of us killed her." Linc said. "Meaning we need to find the culprit and avenge her."

"Agreed. We need to go back in to find any clues that could help with this trial." Shuichi said.

"Okay, I'm sure Miu told us what to do, so let's do it." Linc said as they logged back in to find clues. "Miu...we'll find out what happened. Because what was supposed to be your cheerful game...turned into a horror show. We'll figure it all out...the truth."


	9. Trial of Miu Iruma

After finding all the clues they could in the real and Virtual worlds, the trial began.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting anything like this. A murder in a video game? And who says video games are bad for you, huh?" Monokuma asked.

"They are bad. That murder was just ridiculous." Linc said.

"We need to find out who killed her. We can't let Miu's death go unsolved!" Himiko said determined.

"Whoa. Himiko is unusually determined today." Linc said. "Though I can't blame her for it. Tenko and Angie aren't around to protect her anymore. Therefore, she's chosen to grow up." he thought. "Now...the weapon that was used. Obviously it was the simulator. As Miu said, anything fatal that happens to our avatars will send a shock to our real bodies and kill us. So that's what happened to kill her."

"And then there's the position she was in when her body was found. She had her hands reaching to her throat. There are two causes of death that would make such a reaction: Poison and strangulation." Maki said.

"That's kinda a coincidence. Didn't anyone see that bottle of poison placed near Kokichi?" Tsumugi said.

"You're assuming that Miu drank the poison. Not possible. Her eyes would've been bloodshot." Shuichi said.

"Then it has to be the other option...she died from strangulation." Maki said.

"But...Miu did seem to be acting very weird when we were in there." Shuichi said.

"He's not wrong. I noticed it too." Linc said. "It was strange she brought us to that virtual world. There had to be some ulterior motive."

"That's probably where the poison bottle comes in. According to the Login/Logout records, Miu was the last of us to log in. I think...she was planning a murder of her own." Shuichi said. "She had the advantage of knowing the world's layout, so it wouldn't be much of a surprise."

"I thought so too. I found a hammer near Miu's body. She was planning to kill someone specific, someone she hated. She was trying to kill Kokichi." Linc said.

"Me?" Kokichi asked. "Kekeke. Yeah. I know. But you have to figure out her whole plan if you wanna know the full truth."

"I have a feeling that she placed the bottle of poison on Kokichi's seat for a reason. She was trying to kill Kokichi in the virtual world and make it look like he died of poison in the real world." Shuichi said.

"But in the end, her plan somehow backfired and she herself was killed." Linc said.

"Um… Gonta not sure he follows any of this." Gonta said.

"Gonta? Wait…why can't you seem to grasp it?" Linc asked.

"Because...Gonta can't remember anything. What floor is Ver-Tuel World?" Gonta asked.

"How can Gonta not remember anything from when he was in the virtual world?" Tsumugi asked.

"Wait a second. It all makes sense now. Gonta...you did remember to put the cords in correctly, right?" Linc asked.

"The...cords?" Gonta asked.

"I see. He must have done it incorrectly. That's why Gonta was the only one who didn't remember when he returned." Shuichi said.

"How many times did I say it to everybody? Right is the hand you hold your chopsticks in." Himiko said.

"But Gonta hold chopsticks with this hand." Gonta said taking his left hand out.

"Wha-?! Th-that's your left hand!" Linc said. "The other is the right!"

"What?!" Gonta asked.

"No… Then… Is it really possible?" Linc asked.

"What is?" Maki asked.

"Since she intended to kill Kokichi, there's no doubt that Miu tampered with the settings on her and Kokichi's avatars. One that would render him immobile at the slightest touch." Shuichi said.

"I don't want to believe this either, but… Considering everyone else's positions… The only person capable of committing this murder…" Linc said. "I think it might have been...Gonta."

"B-but...Gonta gentleman! Gonta never kill friends. Gonta not remember but...Gonta… did Gonta really kill Miu?" Gonta asked

"I'm sorry, Gonta. I really didn't want to believe it. No one wants to believe it!" Shuichi said.

"But we need to face all possibilities. You have no alibi, no memory of that world. So you can't prove your innocence this time." Linc said. "I'm sorry."

"Gonta understands. None of this not happen if Gonta did what Miu said correctly. But Gonta is gentleman. And so, like gentleman...Gonta accepts his punishment." Gonta said.

After the votes were cast, Gonta was picked correctly.

"Wow. I've never seen this trial get so mushy before." Monokuma said.

"You probably would've if you were down here." Linc said. "Gonta, we're sure gonna miss you."

"But because Gonta doesn't remember anything, we'll never know his motive." Tsumugi said.

Sectonia was looking on and couldn't help but feel sorry for Gonta's situation. She's not sure why, but… She couldn't just let him suffer what Monokuma had in store. She made her way to the hanger.

"Sectonia? Where are you going?" David asked before looking at Gonta then back at her. "No… Don't tell me you're intending to…" he began as he went after her.

"Now...without further ado...Let's give it everything we got! It's...Punishment time!" Monokuma said hitting the button.

An 8 bit Monokuma then dragged off Gonta across the screen.

Gonta has been found Guilty

The Punishment will now begin.

The scene then shifted to a Wild West ghost town, and despite Gonta's massive frame, he was somehow tied to a stake as Monokuma stared him down in a sheriff's outfit while Monophanie was dealing with stomach pains as Monotaro looked after her. Monokuma then drew his gun as he fired a bug like robot at Gonta.

Wild West Insecticide

This was no ordinary robot bug. It was a hornet, and it stung Gonta at high speed. Not only that, but Monokuma's revolver was filled to the brim with a whole nest of hornet androids, all aimed for Gonta. He fired repeatedly as Gonta's face swelled from the stings. As this kept on, Monophanie was swelling larger and larger until her stomach burst as a strange monstrous bug emerged. After emerging, it sliced Monotaro in two, killing both Monokubs. As it flew in the air, it soon set its sights on Gonta and zoomed right towards him with a sickle ready.

"Gonta...I'm sorry. This is because of how I found the truth. It would take a miracle to escape this...like the one that snagged Kirumi." Linc thought.

Little did Linc know, his prayers would be answered. The green Exisal broke into the room as it shot up the bug before it could even pierce Gonta.

"What the what?" Monokuma said in shock.

The blue Exisal untied Gonta from the stake. "You okay?" The pilot of the blue Exisal asked.

"Gonta face swollen from bees, but...Gonta think so." Gonta said.

"We're getting you out of here." The pilot said as the two exisals escaped.

"Again with the rescues!" Monokuma shouted. "Can't people just leave other people to their deaths?"

"Um… I think whoever piloted those Exisals did enough of that already." Tsumugi said.

"Besides, the Monokubs are all gone. There's no one to pilot them anymore anyway." Kokichi said.

"Don't remind me. All of my cute kids are gone. All that cuteness was wasted. Well, buh bye! I'm gonna mourn my dead kids!" Monokuma said leaving.

"Those two...the same thing from earlier happened. They saved Gonta." Linc said.

"But the green one was deployed instead of the yellow. Can we be sure they were the same people?" Shuichi asked.

"It doesn't matter which ones are deployed. I could tell they were on the same side." Linc said as he went off on his own. Entering Miu's Lab, he took in her spirit as his body felt in pain once more. "Here it comes!"

Linc screamed in pain as he saw himself in the middle of a burning prison as prisoners were escaping from their cells and overpowering the guardians.

"No..how could something like this happen?" Linc asked himself as he ran. "Master...maybe he can stop this." he said running as fast he could.

He busted into his master's room only to look in shock to see him lying dead with a knife in his back as he saw one of the people, a guardian, stealing laws from the wall safe as they laughed maniacally. Linc then turned and ran before seeing a figure covered in blood before him. He looked in shock to see it was his own friend.

"D-Diego?" Linc asked.

"Sorry, but I have renounced my name." he said holding his chest in pain. "I have been reborn. I am an agent of wickedness free from his chains. I am he who as true freedom. I..am...Diablo!" he said charging at Linc.

The flashback ended as Linc panted.

"Diego...he was the one who attacked me. But...I still don't get...how I'm still alive." Linc wondered.

Meanwhile in a dark room…

"Damn them freedom fighter like people. Getting in the way of my show and my profits!" a figure said. "This keeps up, there won't be a show."

"Calm down." a voice said in his phone. "I can assure you, things are about to get very interesting."

"For your sake, you better be right. I've put too much effort and money into this show. If it goes off the air, I lose everything." they said.

"I supplied the Flashback lights, didn't I? In fact… I was the one who supplied you with the first two batches of victims." The caller said.

"Right. Since the beginning, you've been a saint helping from the sidelines. And now you finally get the starring role you always dreamed." he said laughing as he was revealed to be the producer. "Fine. I'll make sure you handle it all, 53rd."


	10. Voyage Without Passion or Purpose

"Now that we know all five Monokubs are decommissioned we can finally raid this academy and save all the other students." Hope said approaching.

"Hope, as much as your enthusiasm is sometimes encouraged and how you ignore the order to stay out, we still have a problem. Tails found out something when disabling their weapons." Jexi said.

"There's a controller inside each exisal. Meaning they can be piloted via remote control." Tails said.

"Oh, right. Sorry for coming guys, I just wanted to check up on things. Didn't really wanna get involved and jeopardize the mission." Hope said.

"Wow Hope, you're acting really subconscious about things now." Jexi said. "Anyway, where is the control Tails?"

"Uh...I was about to take it when someone broke in and stole it for themselves. The Ultimate Supreme Leader." Tails said.

"Ugh. Kokichi. Of course he'd pull something like that." Jexi said.

"He's finally starting to make his move." Hope said.

"How do you know what he's gonna do?" Tails asked.

"Its classic villain." Hope said.

"But… Kokichi said he wants to end the killing game, didn't he? Maybe this is all part of some sort of grand plan." David said.

"Kokichi could have been lying about that. He is a pretty skilled liar." Todoroki said.

"And because of that, he wants people to believe he was lying about that. You can never tell what the little guy is thinking." Zelos said.

"Although, if his desire to end the killing game really is true, then he wouldn't commit a murder that would clearly implicate him." Kokoro said.

"Though we do have free reign now. He'll likely spend his time entertaining the students. David, I want you to come with me to the library for as long as they are out." Jexi said.

"Got it." David said.

"I'll head back to the ships and check on Kirumi and Gonta." Hope said.

"Wait, you?" Zelos asked.

"I can't stay here or else I'll jeopardize our covertness. Plus, someone's gotta watch over those two in case the producer decides to finish the job to fix the show's results." Hope said.

"I doubt he'd go that far. What's done is already done. He can't go back and fix live footage." Jexi said.

"Although he didn't see me, Jexi and Sectonia in the Exisals, our interventions have surely gotten him panicking." David said. "I know I'd be panicking if I were him."

"True. He's probably already realized someone's trying to end this show of his. And for that...he'll likely leave finishing us off to his right hand...the one behind this killing game." Jexi said.

"Ah. The mastermind. No one knows who it is yet." David said.

"That's why you and I are going to the library. I believe what we'll do in there...will be key to figuring out who it is." Jexi said.

"We also need to be careful with where we send the others. We can't risk us getting caught." David said.

"We won't. Together, we're gonna end this….for good." Jexi said as he and David marched off.

"Sectonia, Lloyd. You two know what to do." David said.

"Watch the team while you're gone. Got it." Lloyd said.

"Take care." Sectonia said before seeing David and Jexi depart.

"Well, hope they'll be safe." Hope said.

"Uh...not for long. Kokichi just pulled off the ultimate lie a few minutes ago." Rainbow said. "He just claimed himself to be the Mastermind and took control of the Exisals."

"Oh man…" Hope said. "That ain't good.."

"It sure isn't." Rainbow said.

In the halls leading to the Exisal hangar…

"Dammit, what the heck is Kokichi doing, pinning himself the mastermind?!" Linc said as the students ran down the halls.

"Maybe this is another one of his lies. I mean, he has lied to us about a lot of things, and it's possible that he's pulling our leg…" Tsumugi said.

"Hmm. If I could get close to him, I could use Truth Chain to force him to speak the truth. But I need to be alone with him to do that." Linc thought.

"We need to take care of him now. And free Kaito from his hand." Keebo said.

"That's right. We need to end this madness for good." Linc said. "Both should still be in the factory area."

The students then charged into the factory area of the school where the exisals were powered down. They broke through the door only to see a large hydraulic press and a sleeve from Kaito's jacket sticking out of it as blood was splattered around the press.

"No… We were too late…" Linc said as the video played.

"A body has been discovered! Please start investigating for the Class Trial! I tell ya, the killing game will never end! The despair piles on and on!" Monokuma said as he laughed.

"An investigation? The body is beyond recognition now!" Keebo said.

"It's obviously Kaito! That's his jacket!" Maki said.

"It might not be. It might be Kokichi." Linc said. "We don't know. Plus with the way Kaito wears his jacket, we'd be expecting an arm."

"Hey, guys…." Himiko said finding something.

"What is it, Himiko?" Linc asked.

"You might wanna take a look at this." Himiko said as she held up a black and white plaid bandana, half covered in blood.

"That's Kokichi's bandana!" Tsumugi said.

"So it's not Kaito in the crusher… but Kokichi?"Keebo asked.

"There's no way to tell. We can't open the press to identify the body." Linc said. "All we can do is gather evidence and figure it all out there." Linc said.

"You're right. This is one trial that has all the odds against us. We don't know the victim or the culprit. All we can do...is see the truth and the lies." Shuichi said.


	11. Trial of the Unknown Victim

"Well now, I'm very interested in how this trial is all set up. Both the culprit and the victim are completely unknown! Why let such a perfect situation go to waste? This is perfect!" Monokuma said.

"How is this perfect?" Linc asked. "We don't know who killed who."

"That's exactly why it's perfect! We're going into this trial completely blind!" Monokuma said.

"Provided that you're the one actually on the trial with us…." Himiko said.

"Nope. Our culprit will be hidden until you all figure out the victim." Monokuma said.

"Okay. Then let's begin. Let's start with identifying who was crushed." Linc said.

"It's obvious..it was Kaito who was crushed!" Maki said.

"I don't think so. Remember how Kaito always wore his jacket?" Linc said. "He always wears it without the sleeve on his right, so it's not Kaito that was in the hydraulic press."

"That doesn't prove anything. Because Kaito didn't have an arm in the sleeve proves nothing. Both sleeves could have been off." Maki said.

"Why are you jumping to conclusions, Maki? This isn't like you at all." Linc said.

"There's just no way that Kaito could be alive. It has to be him who was killed." Maki said.

"Maki, there's has to be something that makes you think that." Shuichi said.

"I know what it is. Maki...you were the last one to meet with us earlier. So...care to explain where you were?" Linc asked.

"Why do I…" Maki began.

"Because I know you wouldn't assume something about Kaito unless you saw something at the scene." Linc said. "Maki...you were there to kill Kokichi yourself, weren't you?"

"I...I was." Maki said.

"I figured as much." Linc said.

"Yes. I had infiltrated the room and prepared to shoot him with poisoned arrows. But...Kaito took one of them for Kokichi." Maki said. "He died because of my poison and it is my fault."

"Maybe not. I found something really convenient near the scene of the crime. Antidotes. Its obvious that Kokichi was prepared, because you are the Ultimate Assassin." Linc sad.

"Actually, that was mine too. I gave it to Kaito but Kokichi took it and drank it." Maki said.

"Damn, why did I make such a stupid assumption. I'm speaking like an idiot out here. I just don't….wait…" Linc thought. "Maybe I'm not as stupid as I think."

"Monokuma...can I ask you something? Do you know the culprit?" Linc asked.

"The culprit? Uh..of course I do." Monokuma said looking flustered.

"He really doesn't? That's a first." Keebo said.

"Because that was Kokichi's plan...to create a murder that even Monokuma couldn't figure out." Linc said.

"A murder Monokuma can't solve?"

"It doesn't matter… I saw Kokichi drink the antidote! I killed Kaito!" Maki said.

"But maybe...that's what Kokichi wanted you to see." Shuichi said. "It's possible...he didn't drink the antidote at all."

"But Kokichi was poisoned too. What reason did he have to fake drinking the antidote?" Himiko asked.

"Because it was so...he could enter an alliance with someone. Specifically...Kaito." Linc said.

"With Kaito? But why? He hates Kokichi's guts!" Tsumugi said.

"Yes, but… Kaito might have accepted his terms. If he didn't, he would've succumbed to the poison, making Maki the culprit instead." Shuichi said.

"So they entered a plan to confuse Monokuma, with him not knowing either victim or culprit, just like he planned." Linc said.

"But… That's impossible. The video clearly showed Kaito being crushed." Maki said.

"That was all part of the plan. Specifically, a victim swap." Shuichi said.

"The video showed Kaito being crushed, but… Kokichi might have stopped the video and the press for a brief moment." Linc said.

"And in that moment...they switched places." Shuichi said.

"Kokichi swapped places with Kaito allowing Kaito to start the video and the press. Kokichi was determined to beat Monokuma...even at the cost of his life." Linc said. "This was his final lie."

"But… Kaito is no where to be found. So that begs the question: Where is he?" Shuichi asked.

"I'm here." a voice said as an Exisal stepped into the room as it opened to reveal Kaito inside. "Man...and I had this plan to pretend to be Kokichi too. Nothing gets by the detective and his partner."

"Kaito! So, it's true." Linc said

"Yep. Sorry for making you guys worry about me." Kaito said. "Anyways, let's start the vote! I'm the culprit, so there's no need to keep it waiting!"

"I couldn't have said it better! Now...its voting time!" Monokuma said.

The students place their votes on Kaito, and sure enough, they were right again.

"Puhuhuhuhu! That is right! The blackened is Kaito Momota!" Monokuma said.

"Yep. I knew you guys would get it right!" Kaito said.

"Kaito… You took some very big risks there." Linc said

"Although, I never imagined you'd be this happy about being executed." Shuichi said.

"Don't worry. I'm not going out the way he plans it." Kaito said.

"In that case...let's give it everything we got! Its….PUNISHMENT TIME!" Monokuma said as he banged his gavel.

An 8 bit Monokuma then dragged off Kaito across the screen.

Kaito has been found guilty

The punishment will now begin

The scene changes to a sort of classroom where Kaito sat in a chair as Monokuma was in a space suit. He then banged his paw on the red launch button as Kaito was pulled into a space ship behind him.

Blast Off Second Ignition

It then took off a foot in the air before flipping and drilling through the earth itself as it continued until the rocket was in space. Kaito then smiled as he coughed up blood as the rocket's computer looked confused. Kaito lied dead inside. Its screen then read: Execution Failed. It then went wild and fell back to the room with a crash. As Keebo went to block, some of the debris knocked off his hair thing as the rocket opened to show the deceased Kaito, leaving Monokuma angry.

"What is this? First those mysterious people snatched Kirumi and Gonta, now this?!" Monokuma asked.

"This… This is Kaito's victory. Because he died on his own terms." Shuichi said. "And on his life, we will end this killing game."

"Big deal. A participant can never end this game!" Monokuma said.

"You're wrong big time." a voice said.

"Huh?" Monokuma said before seeing Jexi and David standing there. "And who the heck are you lot supposed to be?"

"The kind of people that couldn't stand idly by as you go on with this madness." David said.

"Wait, so… The times when Kirumi and Gonta were spared… Those were you guys?" Monokuma said.

"Oh big time. You should really keep a better eye on your things like the exisals. But seeing as how you might have tricks up your sleeve...I suggest this. One final trial...a retrial to be exact...going over a past case." Jexi said.

"Which one?" Monokuma said.

"Rantaro's case." David said.

"With new evidence...we can prove Rantaro's death was not caused by Kaede Akamatsu." Jexi said. "That would make your whole trial unfair since you rigged those results."

"Rigged? What are you talking about?" Linc asked.

"Trust us. You'll know once we get there." David said. "This will be not only the final trial, but also…" David said as he held the tip of his hat. "Our final battle."

"Just….who are these...could they be...the voices?" Linc wondered looking at them.

"Not just us. It was more of a collective conscience." David said.

"But that doesn't matter now. What matters now...is exposing all of the lies he's been telling." Jexi said.

"We will not stop until this and all killing games end!" Jexi and David said.

"Fine. You want a retrial, you got it. We'll have it tomorrow. Just be prepared for your punishments." Monokuma said.

"And you and the mastermind for yours." David said.


	12. Goodbye Danganronpa

"This is it… The final trial. If they succeed in this, it will all come to an end." Mayumi said.

"Yeah. But they've got this! There's no way they're going to let that producer and the mastermind have their way!" Leia said.

"All we can do now is have faith in them." Tapu Fini said as alarms started blaring. "The alarms? What's going on?"

"Tails, going to need a status report here!" Pit said.

"This is bad… Dr. Eggman and the Universal Villains have launched an attack on our world!" Tails said.

"What? Now, of all times?!" Knuckles asked.

"We can't let them take over our world, but Jexi and David are still down there. What are we gonna do?" Amy asked.

"Vera… The transporter is compatible with the Last Crusade's technology, right?" Dan asked.

"Yes. Wait… Are you suggesting…" Vera said.

"We are. We're sorry to put this on your team, but this very urgent." Ranma said.

"Why couldn't you put it in the Shining Beacon?" Jesse asked.

"Because Hope has Espio and Charmy. We're the only team that doesn't have anyone from Sonic's world." Aoyama said.

"Yes. So, the task falls to you guys. We'll go on ahead and keep them busy for as long as we can." Hope said.

"Alright. We'll catch up to you as soon as Jexi and David get back!" Sectonia said.

"Please do!" Hope said. "Alright guys, let's get going to Sonic's world!"

"Right!" The heroes and Hope Squad said as the Beacon and Star Speeder took off to Sonic's world, while they did, the final Class Trial was soon beginning with the students.

"All right, now...what was the purpose of this retrial again?" Monokuma asked.

"Like me and David said. We have new evidence that proves that Rantaro Amami was not murdered by Kaede Akamatsu." Jexi said.

"How so? As the records of the trial closing moments show, Kaede rolled a shot put ball from the vent leading into the library, and killing Rantaro thinking he was the mastermind. How in any way was Kaede not the blackened then?" Monokuma asked.

"What if...her shot put ball actually missed?" David asked.

"We tested it in the library during Kokichi's trial. It missed by a few feet." Jexi said. "Also...while snooping around this place...we found this." he said taking out a shotput ball with a pink thread on top of it.

"What is that suppose to be?" Keebo asked. "Another shotput ball?"

"Yes. However, this one has a pink thread on it. From Kaede's pink sweater. The one she wrapped up the ball in before using it for the murder. If it did hit, this thread would have been soaked in blood and so would the ball. But as you can see, it's as clean as clean can be." Jexi said.

"So her shot did miss. Bur how was Rantaro killed if not by that Shot Put ball?" Shuichi asked.

"Simple...he was bashed in the head with a different shot put ball. The one Kaede used was replaced with the real killer's ball so they could make her and all of us think the shot hit." David said.

"So who really killed Rantaro with the ball?" Himiko asked.

"Simple...The only one who could make Monokuma fix the results...the Mastermind." Jexi said.

"Back to that again? Kaede, Kokichi and all of you have pined for so long, and you haven't found one. So for the last goddamn time…. THERE IS NO FREAKING MASTERMIND!" Monokuma said.

"Oh, but there is, and we know exactly how they did it." David said.

"And the reason to silence Rantaro...because he was the Ultimate Survivor." Jexi said.

"Survivor?" Linc asked.

"He earned the title from surviving a past killing game, but had his memory wiped and was forced to participate in this one. We were able to learn about that from this." Jexi said holding Rantaro's Monopad. "On this is a Survivor Perk, a sort of gift he got for surviving the past killing game. That's how he knew about the hidden door in the library."

"I had a reason to be suspicious about him, and now I know why. He's been through all of this before. He knows how the game is played." Linc said.

"So Rantaro was killed before he even remembered anything." Shuichi said.

"If that's the case... Then there is a mastermind. It can only be one of us." Maki said.

"It is one of you. He went down there because of Motherkuma, a machine that mass produces Monokuma. During the first motive, they would have gone there to mass produce him. So in order to figure out the mastermind, he was gonna head down there and wait for them to come." Jexi said.

"However, Kaede's trap kept him from doing so. The mastermind took advantage of that to kill him and pin it on Kaede." David said.

"They used the hidden door to hide back after they killed Rantaro. Then used a secret passage to rejoin with everyone else." Jexi said.

"And the only person who would be capable of such a plan… The true mastermind..." David said. "...is none other… than the Ultimate Cosplayer, Tsumugi Shirogane!"

"Huh...but...how can you…" Tsumugi began.

"Did we mention where the passage entered? The girls bathroom." Jexi said. "You were the only one who was in there at the time of the murder...so you could have easily killed Rantaro and made it back in time before being suspected."

"Plus, you mentioned to Kiyo, Miu, and Kirumi that you were heading there. That provided the perfect cover for your little plan." David said.

"You couldn't let Rantaro out you before the motive time limit expired. You took advantage of the trap set and made your kill." Jexi said. "Then you looted the Survivor Perk Monopad and Kaede's shot put ball, and went into the hidden room. They left the pad on the table and threw the ball into the trashcan. It was a little careless not to destroy all the evidence, but they probably never thought we would enter that room. But we did. We now know the truth. It was and could only be you...Tsumugi Shirogane!"

"If there are any flaws in their logic, just refute it." Keebo said.

"There's...tons of flaws! I didn't do it! I couldn't have done it! It's plain to see." Tsumugi said sweating.

"Tsumugi, I can trust these guys. They have a flawless logic behind it. You have to-" Linc said.

"It's Junko Enoshima!" Tsumugi shouted.

"Who?" Linc asked.

"It's always been Junko Enoshima. She was behind the Hope's Peak Killing Game and the Jabberwock Island Killing Game!" Tsumugi said. "So she has to be behind this too."

"Jexi and I already know that, and she's already dead. Stop screwing around!" David said.

"Dead?" Tsumugi said laughing. "She's not dead...she's right here!"

With a huge bang and a cloud of smoke, Tsumugi's podium was enveloped before standing in her place was Junko herself.

"Puhuhuhu! Now, what was it you were saying?!" she said. " Junko Enoshima the 53rd is here!"

"The 53rd?" Linc asked

"I have a feeling I know what this is about. It's just Tsumugi doing her cosplay tricks." David said.

"Oh, you got it all wrong, crystal eye. This is no trick. It's a perfect recreation." Junko said before suddenly changing to Tsumugi. "Because I'm just a character. You know, a lie." she said.

"A character?" Shuichi asked.

"Next you're going to say that the whole setting of Hope's Peak Academy...is all a fake, right?" David asked clenching his fist.

"Whoa. W-what's he clenching his fist for?" Himiko asked.

"I see the look in his eyes. He's been through hell because of this game. Right?" Linc asked.

"It's real to you, David, but to her, it was nothing but entertainment. Just like all of this has been to you...nothing but a show you love." Jexi said.

"A show?" Maki said.

"I guess the secret is out! So smile, you guys! Cause we're on TV!" said Tsumugi in a cosplay resembling Hajime Hinata.

"What? Who is…" Shuichi asked.

"Don't you know? I was in the Jabberwock Island Killing Game." Hajime said.

"What the hell are you doing?" Linc asked as Tsumugi changed back.

"What am I doing? I'm cosplaying." Tsumugi said changing into Mahiru.

"Yeah, this is just cosplaying." Mahiru said before changing into Yasuhiro Hagakure.

"But this isn't just normal cosplay because I can perfectly replicate the character." Hiro said before changing into Kazuichi.

"Yeah, check it out. Even my voice sounds exactly like them." Kazuichi said.

"What are you even saying? That you were there for every game?" Linc asked.

"No, she's just using her cosplay to imitate them." David said. "The lengths that she's going just for a show…"

"Whoa, Dave. Calm down, man." Jexi said.

"So this is the skill of the Ultimate Cosplayer. It's a little frightening." Linc said.

"That is right! I can reproduce a number of characters and actually become them!" Tsumugi said.

"How can she cosplay as students of Hope's Peak Academy?" Shuichi asked.

"Yeah, what about your cospox?" Linc asked.

"Oh...so you remembered. That's exactly right!" Tsumugi said before changing to Makoto Naegi.

"So...what does this mean?" Makoto asked.

"She can cosplay as them...because she believes they're fictional." Jexi said as Tsumugi changed to Byakuya Togami.

"Yes. To me, the Tragedy only happened on the world of TV, never in real life." Byakuya said.

"Do you really not care about people's lives…?" David asked. "Of course you wouldn't listen to anything I say. I'm Hifumi Yamada's best friend, but I've never actually been in a killing game. To you, I'm no one of importance...a background character."

"Yes. I couldn't have said so better myself, Mr. Ishihara." Tsumugi said cosplaying Hifumi Yamada before changing into Kyoko Kirigiri.

"All of the events to me, happened in a fictional world known as Danganronpa." Kyoko said.

"But it just proves...that you don't know how it feels." David said. Feeling that some sort of audience is watching, he decides to address something. "Ladies and gentleman of the audience, as an otaku, I understand completely how it feels to be a devoted fan of something you love. But… As you can plainly see, I am not supposed to be in this killing game. I'm...actually a traveler. I've gone to many different worlds. Some based on games, some based on anime. When I was in those worlds, everything felt so real. It made me realize that for the people of those worlds, the pain and suffering they felt were also real. And that's why… That's why I couldn't stand and let this continue."

"Wait...if that is all fictional...then what about all of us?" Himiko asked.

"Oh...that's easy...you're all characters on it right now!" Tsumugi said as screens lowered as they showered images of people watching from all over many different worlds.

"Yeah...Danganronpa...aka...my biggest money maker!" a voice said as a large screen lowered as the producer himself was on screen.

"So you're the one who scammed this idea out of Hope?" Jexi asked.

"Who? Oh that idiot kid from the lot. Yeah. This was the best idea I ever had and I didn't even have to think of it." he said.

"You stole something traumatic that happened to him and several friends of mine and turned it into a spectacle. Just who do you think you are?" Jexi shouted.

"Me? When I talked to that always name asking idiot, I introduced myself using my initials. JF. But maybe it's time for the full name...James Flux of the 2nd Flux Family." he said smiling evilly.

"Flux Family? I knew something was off about this." David said.

"Only someone like Flux or related to him could have done something so horrendous." Jexi said.

"Dang right. And I'm making millions off this show! I love Danganronpa!" James said.

David was kept silent as he couldn't find the words to say from all the anger he's feeling.

"You're not gonna get away with this." Jexi said.

"Oh yeah I am. Pop Quiz...what season are we doing right now?" James asked.

"If Tsumugi's Junko act was any indication, it's the 53rd season." Shuichi said.

"53rd? How the hell did it go on for so long?" David said.

"With the support of fans and anonymous donors from all across the 20 universes! And thank you wonderful fans for the support of Danganronpa!" James said.

"But wait, this is all fictional. So Shuichi and the others aren't really… Ultimate?" Linc asked.

"Of course not. They used to be ordinary kids. Until we put them through a fabrication process. We altered their memories, gave em backstories and even fabricated their talents for them. We made them into fictional characters in the world of Danganronpa itself!" Tsumugi said as Celestia Ludenburg.

"So then that means…" Jexi said.

"Yeah. The people of this show...they were killing one another for nothing. Well, maybe for money." James said.

"And the process is irreversible. So even if they want their old memories back, it cannot be done." Tsumugi said as Mondo Owada.

"Sorry, you two. Looks like saving Kirumi and Gonta was a waste." James said.

"No… It wasn't a waste." David said. "Because if it's true that they really are fictional characters with fabricated backstories, then saving them gave them a chance to live new lives."

"But...how could all of this have still happened? You kidnapped us out of…" Shuichi began.

"We didn't kidnap you. You guys signed up for it." Tsumugi said cosplaying as Akane Owari before a screen lowered showing Shuichi.

"Hi. I've been a long time fan of Danganronpa. And I would love to be part of the show. If I could get on, I would be...an Ultimate Detective. True there's already been a handful of them, but I love those characters. And an Ultimate Detective hasn't been the blackened yet so I could kill someone. I even have the perfect punishment for one." Shuichi on screen said.

"Oh my god…" Shuichi said.

"Yeah, it's your audition tape. We liked the spunk you gave, so we decided to create the weakest Ultimate Detective ever...that's you in case you didn't know." James said.

"All of your lines and actions were implanted in your minds by us. Like Kaede's when she said she believed in you. That was a lie!" Tsumugi said as a video of Kaede played.

"I think I'm perfect for this show. I don't have any faith in humanity." Kaede said.

"And Kaito's love for Maki and his inspiring line...it was also a lie!" Tsumugi said as another video played.

"If I get on, I'm gonna kill a bunch of people and I'm gonna win! The impossible won't matter when I'm rich and famous." Kaito said.

"This is my best idea yet. A killing game in the real world propped up by fiction." James said.

"In other words, it's the Ultimate Real Fiction!" Tsumugi said cosplaying as Nekomaru Nidai.

"There's nothing you can do now! Feel the despair, feel the agony! Feel the reason sink in… that your lives are nothing but a big, fat, showboating lie!" James said laughing. "And there is one more thing I can do to make sure I still make millions of dollars!"

Levers then popped up in front of the remaining students.

"The final Vote! Choose to execute either Hope or Despair!" James said. "Choose Hope, and you kill Tsumugi, but you will have to select two of you to take part in the 54th season. Choose Despair and Keebo is terminated and the Killing game continues."

After David heard the terms of the vote, he's decided that he's heard enough. "Hold it!" David said.

"Oh what now?" James asked. "We've already explained the whole speel to ya."

"Yes, you did. However, neither choice is right." David said.

"Neither? What are you trying to say now?" Linc asked.

"Hope and despair are both the reasons this killing game and the show have gone on for so long. I didn't realize it till we talked. But...Hope nor despair are the answers!" Jexi said.

"As an avid RPG player, I figured that if neither option is the right answer, then the right answer should be somewhere in between. In other words, a neutral ending." David said.

"In other words...we choose not to vote." Jexi said.

"What?" Monokuma said.

"Uh, you do realize if you don't vote, you'll be killed right?" James said.

"And what would happen to your big payout then, huh James?" David asked. "If we're just fictional characters to you, then it doesn't matter if we live or die, right?"

"Wait, you… you can't do this! If you don't vote and continue this game… then…" James said.

"We can." Shuichi said. "To those watching at home, you've heard the truth from James Flux and Tsumugi Shirogane. And even the crystal-eyed boy's speech. After what you've heard, are you willing to keep watching?"

"Heh...well...looks like I have to play my ace." James said taking out a red button and pressing it.

"What is….BZZTBZZBTZZTZTZTZ!" Keebo said buzzing and shorting.

"Keebo?" Linc asked as Keebo stopped.

"The will of the world...says that Danganronpa must continue." Keebo said.

"See?! The whole world wants this show to keep going, your words mean nothing! I'm money, baby!' James said.

"What did you do to him?" Linc asked.

"Simple. K1-B0's role is the audience surrogate. The voices he hears are their choices. His personality would have caused problems, so I deleted it permanently." James said.

"You greedy bastard! You don't care about their lives at all. All you want is your damn money." David said.

"Aw...you are….100% right!" James said laughing. "When Keebo votes for execute despair, then we are golden."

"This can't go on! We gotta do something!" Linc said.

"Wait… Keebo is connected to the whole multiverse right now, so…" Shuichi said.

"Sorry, James. Looks like your money train has just reached its final stop." David said.

"What?! No… how can they still think they can take me off the air?" James said.

"Like this." Shuichi said. "If we can reach out to the audience through Keebo, we can show them just how tragic these killing games really are."

"Even after you all abstain your votes? Do you really want everyone down there to die that badly?" James said.

"It's not that they want to die!" David said. "They fought so hard to escape and get out of here. Of course they don't want to die! And that goes for everyone in these killing games. They all wanted to live, they all wanted to survive. For themselves, and for someone else! To them, the killing game is real tragedy!"

"Number 2: Stasis Chain!" Linc shouted as he shedded his cloak to show his chains as they wrapped around Keebo. "There. That's...6 minutes. That's all I can give you right now, inner voice guy."

"What the? Dammit...his manual controls won't respond. I can't force him to escape!" James said.

"Stasis chain...was made to paralyze the victim for a time limit." Linc said.

"Keebo, let us hear the voices of the audience." David said. "And let them hear ours!"

Keebo then did so.

"Come on! It can't end like this! This show owes us! This is whack yo! Danganronpa needs to continue." Keebo said in different voices.

"Danganronpa has had a good run, but it's time to close the curtains on this show!" David said.

"We know how hard it must be to let go of a favorite show. But...sometimes a good thing like a TV show has to come to its end." Jexi said.

"We're not voting for your entertainment. We won't ever give in to the corrupt." Shuichi said.

"All the same though… A… A part of me is still happy that you used my world as a reference. With it restored after a certain counter-incident… You have kept its spirit alive." David said. "And though I personally can't stand the fact that my world is considering fiction… I'm glad that it was through talking to you all that I was able to achieve peace of mind."

"We're not going to force you to do something against your wills...just...consider putting this show on the brakes. Thank you." Jexi said.

"You done? Cause I gotta get to planning season 54." James said.

"I don't think there will be a season 54." David said.

"Do you think we managed to convince the audience?" Himiko asked.

"Yeah… I think we got through to them." David said.

"Doubt it. So...vote!" James said.

Voting time soon began as the group did not vote until time expired.

"So...guess Tsumugi was one of those who voted." Jexi said.

"Actually, I didn't vote either. Because that is how strong my faith is." Tsumugi said.

"Keebo would have been the only one to vote, making him the last survivor. He'll star in the next season. Okay, Monokuma...tally the votes!" Jame said.

"With pleasure. And the results are…" Monokuma said as the screen lowered before something popped up.

"Error! 0 votes!" it read.

"What? 0?" James said in shock.

"That means….we did it. We got through to them." Linc said as the viewers on the screens were turning off the TV they were each watching on one by one.

"It's… It's all over… Everything." James said. "It's gonna end on season 53?!"

"No...please! You have to keep watching!" Tsumugi begged but was ignored.

"Ah! And I just bought a solid gold mansion!" James said. "I'm ruined!"

"That's what you get for being greedy, James." David said.

"You! This is all your fault! I swear, if I ever see you again, I'm taking a gun and blowing your brains out!" James said taking a gun and shooting his monitor as it broke and the feed cut.

"Well, that just happened. You think he was talking to me when he said that?" David asked.

"Probably….Yeah I'm pretty sure he was." Jexi said.

"No...its over…" Tsumugi said. "No...it's not done yet…"

"The game is over." Jexi said.

"True. But...what's a killing game without a final execution? So...the entire world of the show will be destroyed!" Tsumugi said.

"A fitting end to an end of a gruesome franchise."

"And all of you will go with me." Tsumugi said.

"Uh...say what?" Jexi said.

"Keebo...you may begin." Tsumugi said.

"Yes. This place must be destroyed. So is the will of the worlds." Keebo said taking off into the air.

"Take cover?" Jexi asked.

"Like you read my mind." David said.

An 8 bit version of Keebo jetting into the air appeared.

Game over

Tsumugi, Shuichi, Himilo, Linc, Maki, Jexi and David will receive punishment.

The Ultimate Academy will now be destroyed.

The heroes and students started running as Keebo was firing all over the location destroying all in his path.

"We need to find cover." David said.

"The prison under the school. It was made to withstand gigantic explosions. We need to hide in there." Linc said.

As they ran there, Tsumugi waved by to the camera with a sad face as Monokuma stood by her before both were crushed by some debris.

As Keebo laid most of the school to waste, he caught sight of them escaping. He then pressed a button on his body as he charged at the wall.

"Shuichi, Himiko, Maki, Linc. I just want you all to know...I was glad to have been your friend." Keebo thought before he rammed into the wall, self destructing as he took out part of the dome, leaving a gaping hole open.

After all that was over, the hole was opened as they crawled out to see the destroyed school and the hole.

"It's over. It's finally over." Linc said.

"No way they're going to recover from this. It's over for real this time." Jexi said.

"Thank goodness…" David said.

"You really okay with this? I mean, James just put a target on your head." Maki said.

"I don't mind. Just the fact that I restored my world's honor is enough for me." David said. "That said, would you guys like to come along?"

"You… You want us to travel with you, after we auditioned for the show and took your world for granted?" Shuichi asked.

"We don't care about what you did or that your history or talents were fabricated." Jexi said.

"Besides, it's not like you guys have anywhere else to go." David said.

"I think we should take him up on his offer, Shuichi. He's right. We don't have anywhere else to go." Maki said.

"Well...if you'll have us...then we'll join." Shuichi said.

"And Linc...what of you?" Jexi said.

"I don't plan on joining. I want to take care of a few things first. One is to deal with the spirits in my body. Then...after that's done...I'm gonna find Diego...or rather Diablo...and beat him down." Linc said.

"Well, I hope it all goes well for you." David said.

"Is there anything I can do to make things up to you. I am a law maker myself you know." Linc said.

"We're kinda enemies of Diablo as well, so contact us if you can find any info you can get on him and what he's up to." David said.

"I don't know what he's planning considering I haven't seen him in 20 years. But what I do know is you can't destroy his law...because its bonded to his soul." Linc said.

"Bonded to his soul… It's actually a good thing to keep in mind." Jexi said.

"He committed a forbidden taboo turning his soul into a law. Laws aren't supposed to be made from living things. He will not escape unpunished." Linc said leaving. "I'll make sure of that."

"See you around, then!" David said as he, Jexi and the survivors headed to the transporter, only to appear in the Last Crusade. "The Last Crusade? Where are the other ships?" He asked before he was hugged tightly by Sectonia. "Gh… D-don't worry, Sectonia. I'm still alive."

"Where is everyone? I was expecting them to greet us with open arms." Jexi said.

"About that...a situation sprung up on Sonic's world. It's Eggman and the Universal Villains." Lloyd said.

"Ugh. First James Flux now Amadeus Flux. It's a never ending Flux festival." Jexi said.

"Judging from the way he said it, we don't have time to waste." David said.

"Not five minutes into this team and we already have our first mission." Himiko said.

"I have a feeling this will be really lively with this group." Shuichi said.

"You don't know the half of it." David said. "Vera, set a course for Mobius."

"Roger that." Vera said as the Last Crusade took off on its way.

"Sonic...you better still be safe." Jexi said.

To be continued...in Dimensional Heroes Revolution: Sonic Forces.


End file.
